Tag: relaxation

The Importance of Self Care and How to Make Time for It

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A little while back, I read a life-changing book on skincare called The Little Book of Skincare by Charlotte Cho. The book emphasized how important it was to make time for yourself and your skin. I followed the book religiously and it wasn’t long before I realized how much better I felt when I made time to take care of myself. Fast forward a few months and self-care is mentioned more and more often.

It goes beyond just the physical though. Whether it’s spending time with family and friends or just having a lazy day, self-care is what you make of it. It is taking time out to put your needs first.

What do we need self-care?

In today’s busy world, we put everyone and everything before ourselves which usually leads to burnout. By taking the time out for self-care, you put effort into making sure you’re running at perk performance. You cannot help others if you cannot help yourself first.

How to Make Time for Self-Care

  • Plan it in advance- Like I said before, self-care is important so if you need to actually schedule it in, do so. I have certain times and dates reserved for family or friends, Netflix and Chill or Korean sheet masks. Say it with me, “I deserve a break.”
  • Make it part of a routine- Maybe do your routine at a specific time or a specific day so that it lines up with your plans
  • Make it a priority- Life happens. If you miss out on your self-care once in a while it is no big deal but make sure you DO make sure you eventually get some down time.

What is your self-care routine? Do you make time to do it every week? I’d love to know below.

The Importance of a Mental Health Day (and how to take one)

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I’m not sure if I haven’t adjusted to campus yet or if third year is just really hard. It’s become impossible for me for make it through the week and I’m so stressed I feel like I might break down in tears. The last time I felt like this was last year second semester. I responded to those feelings of hopelessness by staying at home for three days(three weekdays btw). Whether you’re working or studying, sometimes you just need a break. Your brain needs breathing space away from all the stress and deadlines. Here are my tips to help you take a mental health day.

1) Ensure that nothing important is happening on your mental health day- I was able to miss those three days of campus because I had already handed my assignments in and I had done all the work already. Making certain that you’re not missing out on anything allows you to spend your day just focusing on you.

2) Speak to the necessary people to take the day off- Whether it’s your employer or your driver, let the relevant people know that you won’t be available. For me this is my lift club so that they know not to pick me up.

3) Make it obvious that you won’t be available… At all- this time is for you to relax and recharge. You’re not going to be able to do that if people are calling or texting you about things that are only going to stress you out more.

4) RELAX- read a book or take a nap. Do whatever is necessary for you to renew your energy. This is your day and it’s all up to you as to how to spend it.

Do you take mental health days off work/school? What do you spend them doing?

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