The notion of true downtime while in college is an abstract and quite frankly absurd idea to most students. Between assignments, working at the weekends, pints at the Pav and maintaining both friendships and relationships, having a night devoted to ‘staying in’ is neither realistic nor  imagined by the average busy, exhausted and overworked student. This however, is arguably paradoxical. The hectic nature that the microcosm of college elicits implies students should be placing more of an emphasis on self care. Yet, I’m sure many reading this cannot recall the last time they spent a planned and tactical evening in. 

Despite the omnipresent allure of student nights, cheap drinks and consistently mediocre ‘afters’, taking time out to dedicate solely to oneself is critical, especially as a student. Yet somehow, there is also often the added notion of guilt that arises if one sets aside time dedicated solely to themselves. This, I would argue, is a direct byproduct of the ever present ‘rise and grind’ culture which has become synonymous with late-stage capitalism. As Kim Kardashian famously said: “Get your fucking ass up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.” 

A culture revolving around waking up at 5am, having an ice bath and seizing each day is consistently being thrown in our faces from apps such as TikTok, where people share unrealistic expectations of what can be achieved during one’s waking hours. Despite influencer and former Love Island contestant Molly-Mae Hague’s boldly declaring that “we all have the same 24 hours in the day”, I fear her position of privilege within society makes her experience alien and out of reach to the majority of college students. 

On the flipside, the notion of self-care as something which can be bought through expensive skincare, luxurious holidays or water bottle collections is just as harmful.

Those who promote these lifestyles and curate such videos on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are usually either being paid to promote these products, or come from affluent backgrounds. As a result,  they have the privilege of not needing to  work while in college, while suspiciously still boasting an ample disposable income which facilitates their constant purchases. Their parents’ names are ‘blue’ on Wikipedia, if you will.  

It seems we have witnessed, and are living through the commodification of self-care. The very notion of looking after oneself and taking a night off has become intrinsically linked to 12-step skin care routines or some complex combination of evening rituals, thus making it unattainable for an already overworked and overwhelmed college student. Who really has the time to spend 30 minutes recreationally reading each evening before applying lavish, expensive skin care? 

Self care has been made to seem inaccessible, yet this is far from the truth. Despite what we have been led to believe, taking time to recharge, rest and relax does not have to be difficult nor complex.

In an era of influencers incessantly sharing their Amazon affiliate links of ‘must-have’ self care items and social media spoon-feeding us constant consumerism as a means to unwind, it is important we strip back self care to its true meaning. This, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is simply “the practice of doing activities that you enjoy or that are relaxing, especially in order to improve or avoid stress.” 

There are a few activities that I have coined as radical acts of self care. These are acts which I often let fall by the wayside during busy periods in college. For example, when I neglect myself and am forced to concentrate on my coursework or, more likely, times when I choose to prioritise my social life, a decision which I know is made by many of my peers. 

Simple yet often overlooked tasks such as tidying one’s room for 10 minutes a day, making a cup of hot chocolate, or spending time with friends outside of the confines of academia can do wonders to boost one’s mood and decrease stress. In my eyes and as cliché and annoying as it is to hear, simply going for a quick 10 minute walk can be classified as a radical act of self care because it gives you both a break from the books and a chance to perhaps reconnect with nature after one too many nights out…

As a chronic nocturnal doom scroller, I have found the most radical self care act of all is to simply go to sleep early. This is often easier said than done due to the addictive nature of algorithms and the aforementioned allure of going out with friends, FOMO and all the fun college nights out have to offer.

However I can promise after almost three years of college and copious amounts of nights out, taking one evening in for yourself to simply relax does not mean you will miss any major, messy night out, nor will you fall behind on assignments. If anything, participating in these self-proclaimed radical acts of self care will improve your finances and bolster your energy.

The commodification of self care alongside the expectation that one must always be seizing every second of every day has created a culture where one can easily find themselves in limbo, failing to achieve both ends of the spectrum and ultimately burning out. An economic value cannot be placed on self care and one does not have to participate in consumerism nor engage in multi-faceted nightly rituals in order to justify devoting time to oneself. It is time we start dismantling this idea in order to make the simple yet wholly necessary task of caring for ourselves a less daunting prospect.