Today is Self-Care Day , which is all about the promotion as self-care as a lifelong habit and culture.
The first thing I thought of when I heard about Self-Care Day was “Treat Yo Self” – which I can DEFINITELY get behind. This, unfortunately, is not that.
You can go on the self-care website to learn more about it, but my blog now is about sharing what I do for self-care with some suggestions about how you can do the same. Before you read further, I understand socio-economic factors come into play, and my intention is not to undermine those situations at all. I also want to note I am not an expert in anything I am saying below. This is just my personal take.
MENTAL HEALTH CARE
It’s no doubt been a really stressful year and a half, and life’s challenges did not shut down like everything else. If anything, they became worse. Which is why I want to suggest a great resource for taking care of your mental health – therapy.
Yeah, therapy.
I went to therapy for a bit and I can say it helped. I was telling a friend the other day that the stigma around it does no justice for what therapy actually offers. It’s not just talking out your problems, but coming to actualizations, confronting deep-rooted issues, and living in reality. The less you bottle things up, the better it is for you.
A large aspect of improving mental health is also getting off social media or limiting the amount of time on it. I’m a hypocrite, but don’t take social media to heart ever. At the end of the day, nobody really cares that much (or at least, they shouldn’t care that much) about what others are all doing. As useful as social media is, it’s also the worst.
PHYSICAL HEALTH CARE
Exercise and diet go a long way for taking care of yourself. Neither is easy to always do, but wherever there is a chance, do it. It takes willpower (and money) to exercise regularly and eat right. I personally hate running for leisure, but only love it when playing sports. However, I love walking. It’s easy, I can take my time, listen to music without constantly having my headphones fall out of my ears, have a conversation, and still feel the burn (especially on hills). So I would suggest walking as much as you can, whenever you get an opportunity. Carve time out if you have a chance.
As for diet, do your best. Work on that willpower and limit your portion sizes and calorie intake, and eat healthy nutritious food. Grocery shopping to eat at home is much cheaper, healthier, and allows for learning how to cook, which in turn, gives you a tool to take care of yourself.
HYGIENE & GOOD HABITS
A very important part of self-care is feeling good by maintaining clean habits. Brush your teeth. Take a shower. Use deodorant. Make your bed. Do your laundry and fold it. At least care enough to do these things.
It’s really the small but no less important things that keep you going day-to-day. Good habits develop into good characteristics which result in an improved mood, and are also a large part of self-care.
BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE
Easier said than done, but all of these things go a long way and make an impact on your self-esteem. How you view yourself is going to improve when all of these things are kept in check. I know it’s worked for me and I have no doubt it will work for others. Believe me, I was never that confident in myself in many things growing up and it took a hard lesson for me to turn things around. But I did it, and for those of you who need to hear it, so can you.
Love yourself. Don’t worry about what the next person is doing or saying or thinking about. I’ve always hated comparisons because no two people are the same. Everyone lives their own lives, and the last thing you need to do is compare yourself to someone else. You can absolutely be inspired by those around you, but never compare.
Self-care today and everyday.
zaynj.ca 