Sometimes we forget about ourselves and what’s important because of our everyday tasks. Finals, internships and sometimes family tend to take its toll on our lives. One day you’ll look up and you haven’t washed your hair or painted your nails in a while. You’re falling apart and everyone can tell. How are you supposed to be the best version of yourself if you aren’t taking proper care of YOU? Here are a few tips to help you remember that self care is important and it starts with you.
1. Treat Yo Self
Whether you’re interested in long baths, glasses of wine in front of the television or visits to the nail salon, girl, do you. Do what makes you happy. Sometimes, I sit outside and just watch the people pass. Not really in a stalker kind of way. I just enjoy sitting outside on nice days and feeling the sun on my skin. Sometimes I’ll see some of my favorite people while sitting outside and that’ll lead to conversations. I also get a lot of my best ideas while sitting around. Even if it’s just for five minutes, it’s definitely worth it.
2. Planners
Yes, planners are great for keeping track of your work and school schedule. When you’re writing down your to-dos, don’t forget to put down a little “me time”. When you schedule a bit of time for yourself, it becomes mandatory for you to be free during that time frame. Now you’re available on Friday at 2 PM to do whatever you want!
3. Dancing
Between me and you, I cannot dance. If I had to dance in order to save my life, I would probably be dead. But, surprisingly dancing is one of my favorite things to do. When I’m alone in my room, I’ll play one of my favorite songs and just “ugly dance” my feelings away. I’ll end up smiling and laying in my bed, exhausted from whatever moves I was just doing.
4. Love Notes aka Quotes
Notes like these keep me going everyday. I’ll see a quote and write it down in one of my journals or the notes section of my phone and reflect on it for a few minutes. I have to remind myself daily that I’m not in competition with anyone. I’m just on a mission to be the best version of myself, no matter if it’s better than the next person or not. Simply journaling my thoughts or daily activities is helpful as well. Writing down what I did, how I could’ve done it better and what I plan on doing clears my mind so much.
5. Don’t Forget to Say No
Say no. Just say it. It’s okay to not want to do something. It’s okay to accept the fact that you’re just too busy to do everything. You’re not a failure if you miss a deadline and you’re not a bad friend if you aren’t available to attend an event with them. Saying no to too much work allows you to get everything you have to do, done within a reasonable amount of time. Don’t overextend yourself. That only leads to more stress and we’re currently on a “love yourself” mission.
There are so many more things that are considered “self care”. We’re all different and we all enjoy different things. Think about what you enjoy and what keeps you happy. There’s no point in doing what we do everyday if we aren’t enjoying it. We must remind ourselves everyday that we’re important too. We’re people first and we have to take care of ourselves before we can handle business.