Think about your schedule. What takes up a majority of your day?
How long are your classes?
What other activities are you involved in?
Do you work?
When do you make time for homework?
Do you plan time to socialize with friends?
However you plan your days, take a second to truly think: do you make time for yourself?
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Self-care is a concept that we hear so much about, but, more often than not, we fail to apply to our own lives. Aspects of daily life and challenges easily get in the way of us making time to take care of ourselves. So, I’m here to discuss the importance of practicing self-care, as well as some tips on how to incorporate it into your life.
First of all, self-care should be a significant part of everyone’s daily routine. Forgetting to take care of yourself can not only be detrimental in the moment but, in the long run, it can lead to significant damages to your mental health. These damages can often lead to severe and possibly life-long issues as well. Mental health is crucially important to remember, because neglecting this can lead to mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression. Not only can poor mental health lead to mental illnesses, but it can lead to physical illnesses as well. Dealing with physical and mental issues can create more stress and challenges in your daily life, but these issues can be alleviated through self-care practices.
When thinking about practicing self-care, what comes to mind? The most common ideas include yoga, meditation and other types of clichéd Facebook articles that you’ve probably seen a million times. It can be easy to think that self-care will simply not fit into your schedule, because unless you were truly devoted to finding your inner peace, signing up for yoga classes is probably not for you.
Although yoga and meditation work for many people, there are other directions you could take to self-care. One example comes from Carthage sophomore Shannon Kebisek. “I have a very busy schedule, but I created a jar with personal reminders and positive quotes,” says Kebisek. “Every morning, I take a slip out of my jar, and pin it on my corkboard. It’s a great way to meditate, a way to start my day off on a positive note. It only takes me a few seconds, and it reminds me to take a moment to breathe.” Even a few seconds of your day can make a huge difference, and according to Kebisek, allow her to start her day off in a positive manner.
One aspect that can easily be incorporated into your life is a consistent sleep schedule. Depending on your own schedule, this may be hard to come by. However, incorporating the typical eight hours of sleep into your routine can impact how you feel during the day. This can be done by designating for yourself a bedtime, as well as a wake-up time.
Another way to practice self-care is to find a hobby you enjoy. This may require you to dedicate more time at first for you to try new activities in order to figure out what you enjoy. However, once you find that hobby, finding time to relax and leisurely enjoy your activity can become much easier to do.
Overall, the idea of self-care varies from person to person. Not everyone loves the same things in life, but we can all take part in remembering to make time for ourselves. Whether it’s watching your favorite Netflix show, reading a good book or striking the perfect yoga pose, remembering to be mindful of your mental health is important to your overall well-being.
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