Lately my life has felt like it is in utter shambles. Not real, literal, actual shambles but like, fire. All around. All the time. It’s not until I started college that I realized how truly easy it is to stop taking care of yourself. To push things off. To remove personal time to make room for never ending school work or multiple jobs to make ends meet. Thankfully more and more people are bringing to light how important mental and emotional health is. If you’re not in the right headspace, it’s almost impossible to successfully apply yourself to your daily activities and to be a functioning member of society. So I decided to share some of the ways that I take care of myself, in hopes others will learn and begin to take care of themselves as well.
Candles
Yes. Candles. I’m a sucker for vanilla or cinnamon scents. Walking into a room and smelling fresh baked cookies, or fresh cute grass or any scent that makes you breathe deeply and smile. Creating that sense of home and relaxation in whatever space you call yours is so important. If you have nowhere you can relax and be peaceful, you will constantly carry stress inside you that will inevitably show itself in destructive ways. As I write this I have a vanilla stress relief candle lit from an aromatherapy collection at HomeGoods(not so subtle advertising), and its doing wonders for my sense of home right now. If candles aren’t in your budget-I know some can be very pricey- try to make some at home. It’s pretty easy. The link to some good sites to teach you will be at the bottom.
Naps
Oh dear jesus naps. Why did I take these for granted as a child, I was just stupid. A good phat nap is wonders in refreshing your mind and body. But when you do take a nap, make sure it’s not so long you disrupt your sleep cycle. Waking up in the middle of your sleep cycle will only make you feel more tired and distressed then when you first laid down. Start blocking out times in your day when you could take a nap. If you feel you have no time to, replace an hour of screen time with an hour of sleep. Your body will thank you for it.
Friends
Utilize the people in your life that make you happy. Call a friend up for a quick convo just to check in on their life or to let them know about yours. I always feel better after a good vent to a friend I haven’t spoken to in awhile. Or a quick lunch with someone who is close by. Make time in your life for those that bring you happiness. If you fill your life with nothing but stressful activities the result is you becoming and entirely stressed out person. Don’t forget to exercise the emotion of happiness and the concept of fun every now and then. You don’t need to go out and spend money either. Just a simple conversation, a trip to the gym or a study sesh in the library. Rely on your friends. That’s what they’re there for.
Netflix
Fuck a Netflix and chill with your mans or woman. Do Netflix and chill by yourself. Rewatch a favorite show. Discover a new one. Watch a stupid horror movie. Screen time all the time is never good. But having some time out of your day or week to not think at all and just enjoy some quality entertainment will never be a bad thing.
Tea
Tea brings me life bro. In so many ways. I’ll drink tea when it’s 3 degrees outside and I’ll drink tea when it’s 300 degrees outside I don’t care. A nice fragrant cup of lemon chamomile green tea makes my heart shudder with happiness. And if you’re a coffee person there’s caffeinated tea too! Whatever your cup of jo is, take some time in your morning or night to enjoy a cup. It’ll change the way your whole day goes.
Exercise
It’s proven. Working out creates endorphins my friends. The happy chemicals. Now I’m not saying you need to go hard in that gym get that bread then throw out your back cuz you don’t know wtf you’re doing with all that gym equipment. A simple walk around the block or through the park is fine. Just get your body moving. Too much of society is sitting. Sitting at home. Sitting on the train to go sit at work to sit on the train then sit back at home. So every now and then, just get that blood flowing. Your body will thank you.
Hobbies
I’m an old ass grandma. So I learned how to knit and crochet in middle school. I find it really relaxing and just something to do with my hands when I watch TV or when I’m listening to music on the train. I also write poetry and do photography. Whatever it may be, find something that has no other purpose than to enrich your life. An activity you do just for the sake of enjoyment.
Small Achievements
Don’t forget to reward yourself for the small things. When you have so much going on it’s hard to feel proud for getting little menial tasks done. Wether that be doing your laundry this week, cleaning your room, cooking yourself dinner, washing your hair. Whatever. Give yourself some recognition for the little things too.
Honesty
This is probably the most important one. Honesty with others is relatively easy. Honesty with yourself? Hard as hell. It’s so easy to convince yourself everything is fine, that you have things under control, that you don’t need help. Etc. But that is not always the case. And doing the hard thing and reaching out. Coming to terms with yourself you can’t do it all alone. It’s not easy but it’s what you need to do, to be healthy. Even if you don’t want to talk to others, at least talk to yourself. Not crazy like. But in a journal. Write down your feelings. Debrief from the day or the week. Writing stuff down may not do anything tangible in reality, but it will help bring peace to your mind. And that’s what matters.
Hope this helps y’all. Stay healthy :)