Self Care
Self care seems the be the magic word these days in the world of mental health. Everyone is swearing by taking the time to live your best life. Celebrities from Elizabeth Banks, Kourtney Kardashian, Camila Cabello, Dwayne Johnson, and my lord and savior First Lady, Michelle Obama, have shared the difference some me-time has on their overall wellbeing. *insert “I deserve this meme” here* Setting aside time to prioritize yourself regularly can completely change your overall wellbeing. Truthfully speaking here, the more I dive into the world of mental health, the more obvious it becomes that it is a systemic problem rather than an individual one. People are often impacted through the uncontrollable: genetics, family history, socioeconomic status, trauma, etc. For this reason, it’s pivotal we all prioritize the mental as much as we prioritize the physical. Self care also referred to as coping skills and self-soothe, is the easiest and most beneficial for everyone to use.
What is Self Care?
The word self care is defined exactly how it sounds, taking care of yourself. This isn’t just making your skin shine bright like a diamond, as my girl RiRi would put it. It’s about taking actionable steps taking care of yourself that will benefit you in the long run, and making it enjoyable for yourself. So yes, I’m saying eating three dozen Oreos while binge-watching 10 hours of the new Bachelorette season is NOT self care. While this sure as hell sounds like a baller time, it’s not going to do anything for you in the long run.
The beautiful thing about self care is that it’s easily personalized and customizable to your liking. Most mental health techniques are pretty cut and dry. Self care, however, is whatever fits your fancy. Joe Schmo’s self care routine might be going for a run while listening to the latest episode of NPR before an important work call. For Karen, it might be taking a long bubble bath after trying her very best the manager fired from HomeGoods. Judas might cook himself an organic raw vegan meal to supplement out all the drugs he did at Burning Man. (It’s called balance people!) Ashley might go pumpkin picking with girlfriends to make up for the fact that her boyfriend is now banging her mom. Steve might binge watch World War II documentaries to make up for the fact that he didn’t get in on doge coin when Kyle told him to. Okay, you get the point. Everyone has different ways the cope with the ups and downs of life. It doesn’t have to be meditation, fitness, and skincare. Pick something that is enjoyable and pays in the long run.
Facts About Self Care
1. A regular self care routine can help you manage stress easier, lower your risk to illness, increase productivity, and improve energy levels.
2. Self care increases your self awareness and self confidence. Finding leisurely activities you enjoy and understanding what makes you happy makes you feel good about yourself. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?
3. Self care should be done on a regular basis to create optimal benefits. Just like cooking a meal once doesn’t make you Guy Fieri. It takes regular practice and a whole lot of bleach and hair gel to become the face of high-end diner cuisine. Same with self care. You need to practice it regularly to feel the effects of it.
4. Self care can be done with others or by yourself. For many, happiness is strongest when it’s shared. It may be more fun to take a hot yoga class with a girlfriend rather than doing it alone in your bedroom.
5. Self care doesn’t have to take long. It can be five minutes or five hours. It could be simply watching cat TikTok in your car to calm your nerves before a job interview. Not like I’ve done this before or anything‚Ķ
6. Self care is not a cure for mental illness. While it will certainly improve your mental wellbeing, it’s not a magic pill. That’s what Prozac is for.
7. Self care doesn’t have to cost anything. I mean if you can afford a 10 day trip to a five star resort, definitely do that over a gratitude exercise. Just make sure to pack me in your suitcase.
8. Self care should be enjoyable AND have long term benefits. As much as I love to kick my feet up and eat a pint of ice cream, it’s not good in the long term. Shout out to my homies Ben and Jerry though for coming in clutch on cheat days.
So you get the picture here. You can’t go wrong taking time for yourself. You don’t need to over complicate it either. If running makes you happy, go for a run. If reading makes you happy, read a book. If dancing around and throwing yourself an absolute ragger to Hannah Montana’s complete discovery, do that. Just make sure your Spotify is on private.