Self-care is an important part of day-to-day life. From being a student to being a part of the working world or otherwise, we need to look out for ourselves. Iowa City offers plenty of options to treat yourself, from traditional to burgeoning new methods. 

Depending on the time of year, stress levels can fluctuate, and for students at the University of Iowa, the end of each semester can be especially challenging. This is when self-care practices are best to stay on top of, and it’s important to remember that self-care encompasses mental and physical health. 

On the mental wellness side of things, the university has professors who have devoted their lives to practices. These methods help put minds at ease, but some of the more experimental options elude students’ mental health upkeep. One such school of health is music therapy.

“The people that we work with can be individuals of all ages from the beginning of life to the end of life and everywhere in between,” Abbey Dvorak, a music therapy professor at the UI, said.

Music therapy, while not the most traditional therapeutic practice, is becoming increasingly common in the U.S. It has a wide range of uses, and depending on the “energy” of the music, it can impact our brains in several ways. 

“When we think about how music affects us, it affects our physiological state, as well as psychological states, especially when stressed,” Dvorak said. “Music can help us with energizing and calming our mood. When we want to energize, we turn on high rousing music, music that might be fast-tempo, very rhythmic.”

Music is everywhere in most people’s daily lives. They listen to it in the car, on the way to class, to get motivated for a tough workout, or to help them relax. It’s also a key part of huge life events like listening to holiday classics while celebrating with friends and family, listening to Taylor Swift through a tough breakup, or whatever else it may be.

According to Dvorak, though, music therapy is all about being more aware of what kind of music you’re listening to, and more importantly, how it may be impacting your mood. 

“Different elements of music help us understand that it’s high arousal. That might be music you use to exercise with or music that wakes you up in the morning,” Dvorak described. “I just did that this morning. I put on ‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gaynor because I could not get out of the door. It is something that helps prompt your movement and energizes you.”

A lot of people may just think about music in terms of motivating themselves for a test or before a sporting event. 

Using music to promote relaxation must be considered, too, though. Finding the balance is key during high-stress periods like finals week. 

“We also have what’s called low arousal music, and that’s music that is slower to moderate tempo, very repetitive, no abrupt stops or starts. An important factor is that there are no loud, dynamic changes — just music that helps you stay mellow,” Dvorak said. “That’s good music to study with. It’s usually music that doesn’t have any words because our mind goes to the words, and we start thinking about that instead of something else we want to focus on.”

Music is often overlooked as an important tool in learning, but it influences neuroplasticity, a concept that describes the sensation of neurons firing together and binding in the mind. 

“Think about when we’re younger and trying to learn the alphabet. It’s really 26 different units of information, but we put it in the song and we repeat it over and over and over again. So, the neurons are all firing in time, and they’re wiring together,” Dvorak said. “If we can do that now, putting information to music, or even to some type of rhythm, that can help us remember it better.”

Listening to music while studying dramatically improves the potential for a brain to remember the other task at hand. 

Like music, social media is a form of entertainment used daily but not always recognized as a factor of mental health.

“People are using it more and more as a way for entertainment, to stay informed, and to stay connected with each other. There’s certainly been a growth in video-based apps like TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. In terms of the impact on mental health, I think it depends on the person,” UI social media professor Brian Ekdale said. 

Social media isn’t all to blame for a decrease in mental health among students, though. It’s also down to the individuals and how they manage social media use. Ekdale gives students a strategy for creating boundaries, though. He said it’s important to consider which accounts or influencers are making you feel bad and cut them out.

“If social media makes you feel like you’re missing out when other people are doing things, maybe I don’t want to be on at a certain time of night when some people are going to be out having fun and I’m going to be inside studying,” Ekdale said. “I think for some people, there’s not an addiction, but there’s kind of a mindlessness with which we engage with social media, where it flips to the next video, to the next video, to the next video.”

The constant, almost unconscious, scroll from influencer to influencer living a life the average college student can’t afford produces anxiety in some people. Social media is an idyllic representation of people’s lives, as Ekdale points out, so it’s important to keep that in mind when establishing boundaries. 

It isn’t all doom and gloom, though. Incoming students often feel overwhelmed in a new environment, and social media is a key option for new students to connect with people. 

“There are ways in which we can use social media to stay connected and emphasize care and attention,” Ekdale said. “I think using social media to enhance our relationships rather than tear ourselves down can be productive.”

Social media isn’t going away any time soon, so being aware of social media’s influence on your mental health is imperative to being healthy. 

Self-care isn’t just about the mental wellness side of things. It’s also about taking care of your body. 

“At Hothouse Yoga, we like to say we’re a community first and foremost, but we operate as a hot yoga and movement group practice studio. We offer several types of yoga, pilates, barre, dance cardio, and workshops in a hot and humid room,” Cara Viner said.

Viner has been with Hothouse Yoga for several years as a teacher and manager and is just closing on her second year as the owner. 

“Mentally preparing oneself is such a vital part of any stressful period. Often, though, in all this stress going on in our brains, we can easily forget that the rest of the body holds tension as well. Yoga is a great practice that helps ease some of this stress,” Viner said. “Yoga connects mind, body, and spirit to build a healthy and positive relationship with yourself and others.”

The lessons taught within the walls of Hothouse Yoga last far beyond the reach of the studio. Viner described the lifestyle that comes with active participation in yoga classes, saying that relaxation promotes an increase in compassion.

“Yoga builds strength, resilience, and flexibility not just for the body, but for the mind and heart as well. I love how my body and mind feel after practicing yoga. It’s like a reboot to a computer — a reset to restore balance,” Viner added.

As we approach finals week, Iowa City’s self-care professionals provide options to upkeep mental and physical health. Outside of stressful periods, though, it’s always important to dedicate time to de-stressing. 

“Taking time out of your day and stressful work to move with connected breath will help with finals and deadlines,” Viner said. “The brain needs to take a breath, just like one’s body, to function efficiently and with energy.”