Whether you’re about to move on to college, you’ve just started, or you’ve finally just gotten your bearings, it can be a lot to take in. Going off to college is a major life adjustment, and you can be forgiven for letting it consume your thoughts. However, you’re going to need to understand that school is not your entire life. You’ll need to take care of yourself; that’s why we’ve come up with a few tips on starting a self-care routine as a student.

Get Enough Sleep

No matter how often you might hear about people in college pulling all-nighters or staying up until the sun rises, resist the temptation to do these things. Sleep is an incredibly important part of taking care of yourself. Even when you have more freedom on your own in college, remember that you won’t really enjoy anything if you’re completely sleep deprived.

Set Realistic Goals

Not having goals at all is a problem, but having goals that are unattainable is just going to make you feel bad in the long run. Focus your goals on things you can actually control and attain in a timely fashion. You’ll find that you end up achieving those goals much more frequently, which will help your self-esteem stay afloat during difficult times.

Splurge on Yourself

Restricting yourself from all the good things in life will only make you miserable. When you do succeed—and sometimes even when you don’t—it’s okay to splurge on something for yourself. Get your favorite food, buy a fun accessory, or play a game you’ve been putting off. You only have so long in college; don’t waste all your time preventing yourself from enjoying the little things.

Get Regular Exercise

College can often involve a lot of sedentary work as you study or write reports in one place over long periods of time. It may not seem like starting a self-care routine in college should mean you must force yourself to exercise, but this activity will make you feel better physically. It’s easy to be unhealthy and harm your body, but real self-care means taking care of yourself even when it’s the most difficult thing you can imagine.

Keep Relationships Strong

Almost no one gets through college completely on their own. Falling into a pod of isolation is easier to do than you might expect, especially when work piles up. Self-care means staying close to the people who mean the most to you and connecting with them digitally when you can’t do it physically. A good support group is always helpful, no matter what stage of life you happen to be in.