It is easy for us, with all of our distractions in this life, to think of ourselves as invincible, like we are above the needs of our body and mind. I know I do. Life can often get in the way of healthy practices and self-care but whether we like it or not, we are at the mercy of the needs of our bodies. Neglecting to take care of ourselves has negative impacts on our overall health, both mental, emotional, and physical.
One of the most important first steps of a mindful lifestyle is nutrition. Being mindful of the food we are consuming and our overall nourishment not only makes our bodies healthier, but has ties to positive mental and emotional well-being. When the brain has proper nutrition that is high in vitamins and antioxidants, it functions at its best as opposed to when it is weighed down with sugar and other harmful materials found in processed food.
I am well aware (and guilty of) the convenience of fast food and heating up pizza rolls instead of actually cooking a well-balanced meal. It is easy to forget that even though we might be full after eating food that is bad for us, our brain is still not getting the nutrients it needs and will not function as efficiently as it would with proper vitamins and minerals that come with a well-balanced, healthy meal. Poor eating habits impact the brain enough to cause depression or fatigue/lethargy. This includes not eating enough or not eating at all.
Sleeping enough every night is more important than we may be aware of because we live in a society that encourages productivity over health and well-being. It is not uncommon for me to show up to school running on very little sleep, but with finished work, and to be praised for that instead of encouraged to put sleep before work. I know students who share similar stories as does anyone who has a demanding job. Every now and then, getting less sleep than we need is not harmful, but we feel the effects of it throughout the day: inability to focus, exhaustion, irritability, and more. If sleep deprivation is an everyday practice, our bodies produce less serotonin (the “happy” chemical), our energy levels lower, and we become more short-tempered.
Exercise is important because it keeps our bodies and our brains healthy, and increases our levels of productivity and focus throughout the day. It is easy to forget that “exercise” does not always mean bodybuilding or running a 5k. I am often intimidated by the idea of going to the gym because I have a picture of people with huge muscles lifting extreme weights and super fit people sprinting on the treadmill. But I remind myself that exercise can be jogging a mile at a pace comfortable for you until you feel like you want to up the speed. Exercise is walking the dog every night. Exercise is yoga. Exercise does not have to be as intense as we are made to believe exercising has to be. Exercising may be difficult for some, but it does not take a lot of exertion for our bodies and minds to feel healthier.
All of the methods of self-care listed above are not only important in maintaining emotional, mental, and physical well-being, but they are essential for life itself. Something that people often forget when taking care of themselves is that not every activity that they do throughout the day must have a purpose if that activity makes them happy.
Action must not always have a purpose toward progressing our lives in a manner convenient to others (or convenient at all) if they genuinely bring us joy. Some of my personal favorite modes of self-care are as follows:
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I enjoy putting on face masks that may or may not actually do what they say they will do on the packaging, but doing them anyway because they make me feel good
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I love tea in any form: iced, hot, green, black, berry flavored or lemon or mint among others. Whenever something unideal occurs in my day and I feel like I need something to raise my spirits, tea always does the job
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Writing is another one of my favorite pastimes. Things that I write are often pointless, such as lists about things I think are cool about life, letters to friends, stories, countless failed attempts at poetry, but they make me happy
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Shopping for things to decorate my room with or any living space is an activity with no purpose other than to bring me a little ounce of joy when I can put a cute and simultaneously pointless decorative item up
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Giving myself time to listen to music, even if it is just for a few minutes while I fold laundry, is one of my favorite things because music has the ability to evoke such strong emotions in people and often music is an outlet for my emotions throughout the day
This list is short, but I encourage everyone to find small, seemingly pointless things in their life that make them happy, and to do them unapologetically. Self care is not about efficiency so much as taking care of yourself and giving your mind and body time to recharge. Lean into the purposelessness and make that time for joy a priority in your day.