At-home spa day during midterms

Midterms are coming and it’s that time of year where every student’s patience is tested as well as their knowledge. During the few weeks leading up and the week of, students can be under loads of stress from projects, studying, and student organization obligations. These weeks can be extremely time consuming and my fellow students think that there is no room to take care of themselves when really, it’s times like midterms where they should be treating themselves the most.  

There are so many little, cheap, and quick ways to get in those “treat-yo-self” moments that can make even fifteen minutes feel like a full day at the spa. One of the first ways to give yourself that spa treatment is by using your normal shower time to wash your body and face with an exfoliant body soap. Exfoliating helps buff away the dead skin or calluses you may have on your body. Taking a warm or hot shower and exfoliating in slow circles will leave your skin baby soft and relax you a great bit.  

While you’re in the shower, be sure to make a point to clean and gently exfoliate your hands and cuticles. Really focus on cleaning underneath the nails and give them a quick clip, if needed, when you get out the shower.  

Our hands are one of the most important parts of our bodies and we use them everyday. Whether we are swinging heavy backpacks on our back, continuously writing and typing, or on our phones, the activities we go through each day can put damage on our hands.  Making sure your hands are clean and soft can make a great difference to how we feel, and even make us feel the need to protect them throughout the day. 

Another way to have a small spa getaway at home is to massage the body with a body cream infused with essential oils like jojoba oil. By doing this, you not only moisturize, but you relax the muscles even further after exfoliating them in the warm shower.  

The last step I’ll share is one of simplest ones: music. By simply playing some soft-toned or no lyric music, you can instantly relax yourself. I usually like to find a nice meditation or yoga playlist on a music app.  

After being in the shower and getting some moisture back in your body, just resting your body by laying or sitting still with music can take all that stress away, even if you only have a few minutes to do so. If you want to go a step further, take the music with you to the bathroom so you can have an even more relaxing shower.  

Going into midterms is stressful, yes. That does not mean that it has to completely consume you. Be sure to take care of your body and your mind during these next few weeks. Give some of these tricks a try and see if easy spa-days are the one for you. I’m sure they will be.