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Self Care

21 Aug 2025

Self-care is the intentional practice of nurturing your mind, body, and boundaries so you can show up as your healthiest, most grounded self.

​Tell someone who cares about you what your difficulties are, and ask for extra support. Be as specific as you can about what you need and what might help. Reaching out to supportive others can often be very helpful.

Get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep generally makes stress worse. If possible, try to stick to a sleep schedule and get between 6-9 hours of sleep per night.

Keep active and exercise. Physical movement and exercise has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety. A good general goal is to exercise 3-5 times a week for 30 minutes. Exercising too much can add additional stress to your body.

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and other non-prescription drugs as these may make anxiety and depression worse.

Keep a routine, such as attending classes or work, but reduce stress by eliminating activities that are a lower priority.

Try to avoid making any major decisions or changes in your life while you are in a very distressed or emotional place.

Make a plan about what to do if your mood worsens and you are unable to function or feel you are in danger of hurting yourself or someone else. Some options are:

  • tell your family or a good friend and ask for help
  • go home to family
  • Contact SCS for a crisis appointment
  • Call 911 [0128080911 from mobile phone] or go to the KAUST Medical Clinic Emergency Room​

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The Habit Loop, as described by Charles Duhigg, suggests that a habit is not merely a simple behavior.It’s a three-part system:A Trigger: the situation that sets off the habitThe Behavior: routine you have, things you doThe Reward: it’s the thing that, after you have done the habit, makes your brain say, “Oh yes, do it again!” Figure your trigger. Without knowing what sets off your old habit, it’s almost impossible to change it to a new habit. (Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit)We continue to form habits (both good and bad) because of the rewards we receive. To help embed the habit, get clear on the reward you will get from moving from a current habit to a new one. (Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products)Suppressing the bad habit is not the way. The more you try to push the bad habit out of your mind, the more it pops up.  (Jeremy Dean, creator of PsyBlog and author of Making Habits,Breaking Habit) Define a new habit to take less than 1 minute, as these are harder to hack (i.e. finding an excuse not to do it). Make your new habit specific and accomplishable in sixty seconds or less.(BJ Fogg, creator of the TiniHabits.com website)Don’t try to build 10 new habits at once. Focus on creating just one habit at a time. Pick one and really focus on it. (Leo Babuta author of the blog and book ZenHabits.net) Don’t just define your habit, Practice it mindfully, thoughtfully and deeply. After defining your new habit, learn what is like when you are doing this new habit well, rather than doing it approximately. (Dan Coyle author of The Talent Code) Set clear, recurring finish lines that keep you energized and motivated. Celebrate each success as you cross it, and create many small, achievable challenges instead of one never-ending goal. (Tony Stubblebine, creator of Coach.me App)

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Self Care

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Self-care is the intentional practice of nurturing your mind, body, and boundaries so you can show up as your healthiest, most grounded self.​Tell someone who cares about you what your difficulties are, and ask for extra support. Be as specific as you can about what you need and what might help. Reaching out to supportive others can often be very helpful.Get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep generally makes stress worse. If possible, try to stick to a sleep schedule and get between 6-9 hours of sleep per night.Keep active and exercise. Physical movement and exercise has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety. A good general goal is to exercise 3-5 times a week for 30 minutes. Exercising too much can add additional stress to your body.Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and other non-prescription drugs as these may make anxiety and depression worse.Keep a routine, such as attending classes or work, but reduce stress by eliminating activities that are a lower priority.Try to avoid making any major decisions or changes in your life while you are in a very distressed or emotional place.Make a plan about what to do if your mood worsens and you are unable to function or feel you are in danger of hurting yourself or someone else. Some options are:tell your family or a good friend and ask for helpgo home to familyContact SCS for a crisis appointmentCall 911 [0128080911 from mobile phone] or go to the KAUST Medical Clinic Emergency Room​

Read More