What is self-care?
It is any activity we do deliberately to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. It’s not an indulgence. Below are suggestions of small ways to incorporate self-care into your daily routine.
Day 1: Unplug
Turn off your TV, phone, computer, tablet, or any social media for that matter. Spend some time out of the virtual world, even for just five minutes. Studies show you’ll be able to communicate better and sleep better without seeing electronics before bed, both activities that will help shape overall well-being.
Day 2: Declutter
Decluttering can apply to all aspects of your well-being. Physically, you can clean up your workspaces, do some chores around the house, and we all know someone who just keeps a bunch of trash in their bag. You can also declutter your mind of negative thoughts or overthinking that can affect us at any point in our lives through meditation and mindfulness practice.
Day 3: Nourish yourself
Today, make an effort to take care of your physical being. Keep in mind staying hydrated throughout the day; maybe go to bed a bit earlier. Try going out for some exercise through a simple walk, or even just stretching at your desk once an hour to help nourish your body.
Day 4: Create
Create something with your own hands. You could make music, make drawings, writings, try out a new recipe; even making a sandcastle at the beach today would count. If you were feeling crafty, here’s a list of easy do-it-yourself projects to do at home. And afterward, step back and take pride in what you’ve made. Doesn’t matter if you think it’s good or not, you still made it and that makes it precious!
Day 5: Listen
Listening to those you trust and taking into account their feelings is important. However it’s also important to listen to yourself and your limits when you’re feeling overwhelmed or tired. Also listen to positive voices that encourage you to keep going!
Day 6: Express
Hopefully since you’ve been listening to yourself and others, you can now express a response. Express yourself and your emotions to friends, family, peer supports, teachers and therapists. Keeping your thoughts to yourself for a long period of time doesn’t help your problems and negative emotions disappear.
Day 7: Explore
Step out of your comfort zone and try something new today. It can be trying a new food, or even reaching out to a new friend. Creating variety every so often can break boring routines!
