Courtesy: dailyuw.com
There are times when you unlock your phone, scroll onto your favorite form of social media and encounter the most disturbing news, from incidents of mass shootings, starvation, police brutality, racism, homophobia, sexism, sexual assault and many other tragic events that we collectively suffer. While the spreading of these events are important and promote enough emotion to inspire change, it shouldn’t come as a cost to your mental health. It’s always important to put your state of being ahead of everything else. For that reason, sometimes leaving those violent and tear-provoking videos that can be ever-present on your TL can be a form of self-care. There are many ways to be conscious and sensitive of your mental threshold, and letting the weight off can feel better than you may think.
1. Show Yourself Some Love
If you consider yourself a particularly sensitive person, perhaps you may feel compelled by grief during tragic times and can forget to take care of yourself as a result. To help aid with this, make sure to keep up a good hygiene routine. Take regular showers and practice using face or hair masks to soften and add a glow that may help radiate inwards. Self-care can seem as a frivolous rebuttal to violence but not allowing yourself to be consumed by tragedy can help you prepare to fight for change. So make sure to light some incense and pull the plug on the drain for a relaxing night in.
2. Learn to Say No
One of the best advice I have ever received in terms of self-care is to learn to say no. Sometimes people can break boundaries and say or do things that aren’t warranted but learning to not accept these things can make you feel much more confident about your relationships. Once clear boundaries are set, there’s no reason to be anxious about meeting people or experiencing things because if someone does attempt to violate a boundary, you’ll be comfortable saying no. Saying no to politicians, racists, homophobes and sexists can also help you to cope with terrible news. Say no to violence, senseless murder and mistreatment.
3. Free Yourself
Free yourself from the instant quick bits of terrible news and violent Facebook videos and try to fast from social media. Practicing a 2-hour per day fast can help you to focus on completing other things, like finally finishing that book you started last year or going to a new gym class and practicing your strength and stamina. Mediation can also be a great substitute for social media that can provide great relaxing results.
Once you learn the proper techniques to give your mind a break, it’s a lot easier to face more challenging situations. In moments of tragedy, it’s important to seek out your neighborhood to see how they’re doing and do everything to help. However, it’s also important to care for yourself, after all, you must put your oxygen mask on before assisting others.
Courtesy: Simple Green Smoothie