Everyday self care

The self-care industry is (was?) pretty great. It empowers people to realize they need to put their wellbeing first and give themselves time to decompress. At the same time, I think it can be

a load of bull that's often just trying to sell you something guaranteed to brighten your day or your skin.

There are many ways to look at self-care and often people's idea of it is contradicting- workout or don't, eat healthily or indulge, be positive or feel all your emotions. I think the most important thing to remember when you want to dive into self-care is balance and actually taking care of yourself.

Here are the things that help me to decompress and take care of myself when I really need to that don’t involve buying new quick fixes or gadgets.

eating three meals a day

I recently moved alone and my days, especially at the beginning, are mostly work and school. I used to eat full meals and snacks while I lived at home, but a new job, new school year, and new home alone left me only eating once or twice a day. And usually not much. It took me a couple of weeks of being groggy, irritable, and overwhelmed to actually realize that I wasn't eating as much as I should be. I now make an effort to take breaks from studying to make sure to eat no matter how little I want to actually make the food. I've also begun to pick up easier recipes and easy to eat snacks. I find cooking a great way to take a pause and listen to music or watch a show (or just enjoy the noises of cooking) and focus your energy on something nourishing for your body.

clean- your room, house, or body

Another somewhat obvious but easily over looked way to make sure that you're taking care of yourself is to clean. I've found it surprisingly easy to forget to shower or clean your home. It's often just too easy to get caught up in the things that need to be done. Try taking the time to tidy up or clean yourself up. You don’t have to tackle your whole room or home, but maybe start with laundry if you haven’t put it away in a while or your desk (which I often let everything float onto). I find that I’m usually more at ease when my room is clean than when it’s dirty (even though I know I’ll probably let it dirty up again, bad habit).

go outside and be active

An early morning walk in cold air or one at evening golden hour to clear your head is one of my favorite things to do. Hanging out outside is associated with better moods and more activeness. Especially now, given the pandemic, it’s hard to separate yourself from the different aspects of your life like your social life, work/school life, and your personal or relaxation time. Removing yourself from where you spend most of your time (inside and likely on a screen) can be good for your mind. I’ve found being outside and just listening and watching everything happen around you is a great way to take a pause, especially early in the morning when things are quiet and slow. Also, being active doesn’t mean over exerting yourself or running when you hate it. It could just be taking a walk everyday and doing some yoga, or throwing on some great music and dancing around on your own!

keep a journal

Journaling is a great way to gather emotions and help you work through tough spots. I used to only write in a journal when I felt overwhelmed with emotions (which was helpful), but I’m finding that journaling everyday and for more than just negative occurrences or emotions is just as helpful. If you’re stuck four prompts or how to start, there’s plenty of content on YouTube and Pinterest to help. I have a Pinterest board that I usually consult for prompts when I’m stuck.

I know some (maybe all) of these are pretty obvious, but I hope they’re helpful in inspiring you to take time out of your day and dedicate it to yourself. Even if you only dedicate 15 minutes!