I love pondering on what kind of steps we can take to better and upkeep our health. Sometimes all of it feels too complex, and sometimes almost too simple, but when I take time to reflect on what I’m doing and which direction I’m heading with my health habits, it becomes a moment of self-care in itself.
Balancing our schedule is an important part of health. If we are constantly thinking about our schoolwork or other stressful endeavors, we may catch ourselves unable to be present in the other lovely things in life, such as writing, exploring outside, and meeting the people we love. When there are a lot of courses and extracurricular activity projects, by focusing on also getting enough sleep and taking time for creativity at the side, we could be able to contribute to and finish them in more a fruitful way. Everyone has probably experienced waking up at five in the morning to work on something, only to actually begin at around eight the earliest, and then realizing we would’ve been better off spending those couple of hours recharging in the dream land. The balance we can actively create in our lives can enhance our experience of studying, as concentrating is notoriously more difficult with the presence of anxiety.
Celebrating ourselves is also a key factor of taking care of our health, and self-appreciation is practiced in many different ways. It may mean buying ourselves teabags from the good, pricier brand, or going outside when we don’t feel like it, but are in dire need of it. Healing practices may also look like browsing old pictures and reading old diaries; remembering where we came from can help reduce the anxiety about the present moment and remind us that we have been learning and growing in unimaginable ways. Reading old journal entries reminds me that despite everything, life will go on, and that the antidote for feeling lost might be found in learning how to be open and vulnerable again. When we take time to nurture ourselves, we can also dedicate time for thinking about our values and dreams. I like to imagine us as plants, little trees or flowers growing through the snow covers, in a slow but secure pace when watered.
Another part of taking care of health can also come in the unexpected form of trying out something new – a change of perspective. Observing how things are carried out in another field or another place can help expand our thoughts about how we lead our lives, in the daily and in the long run. Seeing our lives from another view allows us to remember what we appreciate and what we’re good at, and what we want to work towards with our actions and words. The danger of always staying in the same mindset and flow is that we may lose the ability to see the bigger picture, meaning that we are not getting the chance to re-evaluate if what we’re doing in our days is constructing the life we wish for ourselves.
There is a whole world out there, and it can seem, and be, a frightening place. Reading about everything that is going on can make us feel powerless. We may feel numb upon wishing to help the people and animals in need, and it is challenging to rise above the debilitating fear, but we can strive to concentrate on creating a safer and more equal world on our own respective paths. Trying to do all at once could prove to be less effective than consistent efforts in what we do the best, but every day, we can also sense the emergence of new ways of ensuring everyone could live in peace, having the rights, education, work, and health care they need. Our health is not something to take for granted since it touches every part of our lives. That also means we can start, or continue, from anywhere.