Everyday when I go on TikTok there seems to be a new trend.
New movies, memes, artists and words go viral everyday. Recently, I have been seeing the word “whimsical” go viral. When I saw this, I started to think to myself what does whimsical mean to me? It’s such a fun word to use with such a fun definition: “acting or behaving capriciously.” Once I started to implement this in my life, I realized I could make it more fun and exciting.
Which is why, today, I bring to you my list of self-care activities that make life more whimsical.
Why Self-Care Is Important
First, let’s start with the basics: the definition of self-care. “Self-care” means “to maintain your health and preventing illness or disease, with or without the support of a healthcare provider.” In my personal definition, it is being able to take care of your mind, body, and soul to live a healthy and nourished life.
Self-care includes many factors such as hygiene, nutrition, exercise, environmental habits, cultural beliefs, taking prescribed medications, and treatment plans. Practicing self-care regularly can bring about both short and long-term benefits, which lead to improved well-being and an improved health status and mood. With social media and external factors, I believe that a lot of us are being conditioned to find comfort in sadness and not taking care of ourselves. But it is so important to do things that you love and heal your inner child in order to live a sustainable life and create a sense of belonging. Overall, being able to prevent disease, reduce stress, have healthier relationships, and improve life and job satisfaction sounds fun to me! Doesn’t it?
How Making it Whimsical Helps
As mentioned earlier, whimsical means “acting or behaving capriciously.” In simpler terms, this just means making every moment feel more memorable and adding that playful energy to life. Why it helps is that it makes ordinary objects feel special. It may seem a bit silly in the start, but once you create that feeling of excitement within you to even do simple tasks, life becomes more valuable and fun.
Becoming more whimsical helps in adding creativity to your life. This all ties back to healing your inner child, since as children we used to be much more creative and get excited to do simple tasks. As we get older and life gets busier, we forget to do this. It’s all about adding that colour back into your life, which is why when we were younger, life seemed so much more colourful and magical. This is beneficial because self-care activities are supposed to be about you, which means you need to add your own personal touch to them in order to feel like it is helping you.
My List of Activities
Although I am not a professional, here is a list of things I do. Feel free to use this as inspiration to get started on your self-care journey.
Firstly, as a form of entertainment, I like to rewatch some of my favourite childhood movies or shows. My favourite one is “Winnie the Pooh.” I believe it helps in making my life more whimsical since, as we grow up, we get so used to watching forms of media that are for mature audiences. While that can be entertaining, sometimes you will need to be gently reminded that you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think (famous quote from A.A Milne’s Winnie the Pooh). That mindset is especially be helpful during difficult times. I know that during exam season, when I become a bit harsh on myself, rewatching childhood shows and movies helps calm my nervous system. This is also helpful because the media we grew up watching was extremely motivating and inspiring.
The next thing I like to do is have some sort of memory box or journal that I can look back on to see how far I have come. This can be personalized, but having a physical form of memories, writing, or pictures can make life more fun and make simple moments worth capturing. I like to print out pictures every couple of months and add them to an album with personalized notes so I can look back on fun days.
Lastly, I like to connect with nature. As the weather gets warmer, I start going outside more. This might sound silly, but in the summer, I often hug trees. I also talk to my plants; I think it just makes life more joyful, and surrounding yourself with nature has been proven to increase your mood and help you feel more refreshed. Also, walking in nature with music must be the best combination out there. So even if you have never owned a plant but want to try something new, get a small plant from the grocery store and try this exciting new activity: it’ll give you something to look forward to.
Conclusion
Whether you’ve always doubted self-care or you don’t know where to start, hopefully this guide has been helpful in providing you with a starting point. Just remember, it doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else but you. If you see a noticeable change and an increase in mood, then it’s working!
Just remember that life is your creation, and you can make everyday more exciting!