In an era where reminders of self-care are found all around us, it’s easy to get swept up in a #selfcaresunday but how much of our self-care truly focuses on healing and loving our inner self? If the occasional face mask or aromatherapy bubble bath haven’t been as effective in your journey to a genuine routine of self-care, I’ve curated a first-hand experienced list of things you can try to create your greatest and highest version of yourself.
Positive Affirmations
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Positive affirmations are powerful statements which can either be written down or spoken out loud that help to overcome self-sabotaging or unnecessarily negative thoughts. Some examples of positive affirmations are: “I love and approve myself,” “Success will find me today,” and “I am too big a gift in the world to waste my time of self-pity and sadness.” At first, these statements might feel a little hokey or even entitled to say out loud (I thought so too!) but over time, speaking to yourself with kind words helps you see the world through a bright lens, doing away with feelings of self-doubt and negativity.
For the skeptics and those who want a further explanation, there is an underlying psychological principle to positive affirmations, it’s called the Hebbian Theory. The simplified version of it is, “cells that fire together, wire together.” Essentially, if you say/write positive affirmations while visualizing yourself carrying them out, you can basically trick your brain into believing them and living as if they were true (which they are). It’s the same science used behind the famous “fake it ‘til you make it.”
Exercise
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Many people think of exercise a means to an end. Want to shed some pounds? Go to the gym. Want to tone up? Go lift some weights. But what many people don’t know is that there is a direct link between exercise and a boosted mental health state. Picture this: you’ve had an incredibly difficult day, packed with tests and that one classmate that keeps sitting in your seat (unassigned assigned seating is REAL), and now, it’s time for the gym. You have your gym bag packed, but you’re dreading walking in and getting on the Stairmaster. But you do, you fight through the mental block and after an hour of cardio mixed with weights, you feel better. The annoying classmate is a thing of the past and your three tests and midterm don’t seem like such an overwhelming challenge. In short, you feel unconquerable. Exercise releases endorphins, a group of hormones that cause happiness and even euphoria. You don’t have to become a gym junkie or a bodybuilder to experience these effects, studies show that just 30 minutes of exercise a few times a week can create these positive, mind balancing effects. If going to the gym alone sounds intimidating, the Leach Center offers group fitness classes where you can get down and sweaty with 20 other students.
Fixing Conditioned Thinking
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Let’s be real, sometimes our inner voice can be a total jerk and not conducive to self-care at all. We’ve become conditioned to thinking that our struggles or our failures are a direct result of us lacking talent or ability. But in some cases, things aren’t meant to work out and no manner of hoping, wishing or doing can bring them to fruition. In a society where women have been told they can’t do one thing, aren’t meant to accomplish something else or have to look a certain way, it’s extremely easy to feel like you’re lacking something. Whenever you feel thoughts of self-doubt or feeling “not good enough,” it’s important to take a step back and push those conditioned thoughts away. When you feel “stupid” for not understanding something in class, take a step back and think to yourself, “This section will take some extra studying, but I believe in my ability to learn.” When you feel “ugly” because you have a huge pimple, take a step back and think, “This is a normal human issue, especially in times of heightened stress or hormonal imbalance.” These feelings don’t only happen to us regular gals, even huge celebrities have run-ins with insecurity or self-doubt. Even Beyoncé.
Self-care is tricky. Many articles and listicles focus on purely superficial forms of caring for yourself, but true self-care comes from within. Self-care comes from a desire to truly cherish and nurture the most hidden-away parts of yourself. Through trial, we can all find the form of self-care that fixes our inner self and allows that true beauty and worth to shine.
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