As the end of the semester approaches, students all over the Forty Acres are beginning to stress about upcoming finals, essays and their final grade in class. 

While stress continues to rise as the semester comes to an end, mental health and self-care begin to decrease. 

Many people believe that college students have no time to take care of themselves, but it is important to remember that without good mental health students can suffer academically and socially. 

Self-care is just one of the many stepping stones that students can take in order to better their mental health. 

When people think about self-care, a lot of the time they believe that you need to set a whole day away to pamper yourself with face masks and salads in order to feel your best. 

However, the reality is that self-care can come in many different forms and students can take care of themselves on a daily basis.

 Self-care can be something as simple as allowing yourself to take 20 minutes to read a book you really enjoy, go for a run to clear your mind, or even meditate for five minutes to collect your thoughts and ideas. 

As a student myself, while I get very caught up in studying all day long, one of the tricks I use to make sure that I do not completely burn out from studying is to break up my study times into 40-minute intervals. 

This trick allows me to study for 40 minutes straight without any distractions and then follow it up with 10-minute breaks where I can get a small snack, stretch and possibly take a catnap. 

This approach to studying has allowed me to become more focused on my studies in a more effective way, rather than going into a blank repetitive state of typing and writing all day long. 

Many people would not consider this small change to my study habits an example of self-care.

 However, while I am still focusing on my studies, taking small breaks every 40 minutes allows me to collect all my thoughts and focus on myself. It helps me protect my mental health in the long run. 

Self-care can come in many different shapes. Self-care can be something as small as buying yourself a coffee every Friday from your favorite coffee shop, or allowing yourself to take the whole weekend to sit back and relax. 

As students, we sometimes worry that we need to be going 24/7, when in reality it is important to take time for yourself. 

As finals are approaching, remember that even if you are at the library all day long, take the time to close your laptop and sit back to enjoy the day as much as possible.

 And remember, there is only a week of class left in the semester before we have a whole month to relax.

Rosales is a psychology sophomore.