Thursday Thoughts: Self-care and the Walden Student

Thursday, August 24, 2017 Expert Advice , News and Notes , Writing Center Services No comments

Being a student is just one of the ways you define yourself. All of us here in the Writing Center have many titles and fill many roles. We know what it is like. Parent, spouse, employee, student, caregiver, and friend may be just some of the ways you think of yourself. Missing from that list is: self. So many of us fail to take care of ourselves in the process of filling the other roles, which tend to either serve or focus on the needs of others.

Although student may seem like another responsibility, this title can actually work to help you care for your self. Stick with me on this one! While being a student requires a lot of work, rigorous thinking, and demands on your time, it also provides you with the opportunity to think about who you are as a person. What will I do with my degree and what I have learned? How do my actions have a positive influence on society? What are my goals? What do I want to get done today? Some of the tasks you do as a student, from discussion posts to proposing research, ask you to reflect on these things. That reflection can serve double-duty as it completes the assignment and gives you a moment to think about what you do and who you are as a person.

Also, as a Walden student, we have resources to help you find wellness and moments of reflection:

Include positive affirmations as part of your daily routine.

Explore mindful writing practices in this two part WriteCast podcast series: Taking Care of Yourself with Mindful Writing and a Mindful Writing Walk-Through

How can your cat help inspire writing?

Remember that writing is more than a task. It is a process that involves both your intellect and body. As writers, we have to remember to take the time for self-care and not overlook the ability for writing to be part of that self-care regimen. If you have any writing and self-care tips, please share them with us in the comments!

The Walden University Writing Center is dedicated to supporting students throughout the writing process, including care of, and a focus on, the student as a writer. Our goal is to improve the writer, not just the writing.