As the semester goes on and students’ lives become busier, Rowan students share unique ways they focus on themselves, citing the importance of being with the people they care about.
According to a 2033 study reported by Statista, 93% of students partake in “self-care methods for managing their mental health and emotions.” These methods include a wide variety of activities, such as listening to music, physical activity, practicing a hobby, and watching TV.
Rowan students, such as junior dual major in radio, television, & film, and advertising, Megan Hamlin adds spending time with friends to this list.
“I really like hanging out with my friends just because it separates from school work and all that,” Hamlin said.
For students such as freshman management major Liliana Campana, while school work can be stressful, making the decision to take time away from the work will relieve the anxiety.
“Don’t isolate yourself. If your friends want to have dinner together and you want to be like, ‘no, I should be studying,’ just say yes to the dinner, don’t isolate yourself because you’re just going to be more stressed,” said Campana.
Unlike Hamlin and Campana, who separate their self-care methods from school work, McGregor Davis, a junior marketing student, said he takes care of himself by doing work while sitting with his friends.
“Having a little moment in the day, a little break, just to get out of the shell, education, working, homework stress, and we’re able to talk,” Davis said. “We’re still doing work, we’re still doing our own thing, but we’re able to have a little bit more fun.”
The Statista study found that only roughly 34% of students report hobbies as a way they practice self-care. Freshman, elementary education major, Kassidy Gernet is one of these students.
“I have a lot of hobbies. I crochet, I play guitar, andI also enjoy going to the gym, and doing the group fitness classes at the rec,” Gernet said. “So that’s kind of how I take care of myself, just like partaking in my hobbies, making sure to have time to myself to enjoy something that I like to do.”
Gernet says that although hobbies can be enjoyed alone, doing hobbies with a friend is peaceful as well.
“I hang out with my roommate, and we’ll like, watch a show, and crochet, and hangout and it’s fun. It’s just a nice way to decompress,” Gernet said.
A common way students take care of themselves both physically and mentally is through the gym. For freshman public health and wellness major, Olivia Marinelli, she finds the gym to be an enjoyable activity that has been part of her schedule since high school.
“It’s just like brushing your teeth, like you just have to do it every day, it’s not a motivational thing, it’s a discipline thing,” Marinelli said.
Like Marinelli, junior construction management major Matthew Vu said the gym is part of his schedule and has helped him deal with stress.
“It’s been a good coping mechanism for me,” Vu said.
Students shared many ways in which they take care of themselves. While many answers varied, time with other students and friends was a common thread amongst the students.
“Make friends that have similar goals as you. Friends who want to lock in, or like friends who are funny, and you just want to spend time with them,” Marinelli said. “I think being around other people is more motivating. Because if you’re trying to do it by yourself, it gets frustrating.”
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