If you’ve gone anywhere lately, been online, or continued to view Her Campus’s postings you’d see that self-care seems to be quite the buzzword as of late. It comes off as trendy and “cute”, often featuring images and references to the same body types doing expensive beauty routines. Simply put, it seems like a trend that’s inaccessible and rooted in the cosmetics industry, or so I thought for a long time, but as the months and years have gone on and the stress of classes, work, friends, and responsibilities have piled up while the time has steadily slipped away I’ve found that self-care is not just a trend but rather a life-style.
Okay, yes this sounds extremely cheesy. Before you switch off, let me say that self-care is a radical act within our lives and within society. It’s radical but necessary. We are conditioned from childhood to continue to push ourselves within societal systems (work, school, family, society) we are supposed to give ourselves completely mind, body, and soul to others. In this sense I am no exception, this semester especially I have overextended myself yet again (BIG SURPRISE!) and I continue to sacrifice sacred personal time because I want to be there to support my friends in love ones. By both emotionally and physically overexerting myself, I started to become a shell of myself. I was quieter, more withdrawn, I continued to feel disconnected from the things I was passionate about because I became so focused on the mounting pile of work ahead of me, I was running on less sleep and my anxiety ran rampant. I was failing to give myself time.
Self-care can look different to everyone. For some it’s the triumph in the little things: making sure you brush your teeth, prepping out a lunch you may actually eat for once, or devoting the time to cleaning up your space. It can be centered around creative expression, journaling, sweating it out, turning off your alarm and allowing your body to sleep naturally, curling up with a cup of tea and a cheesy movie, or just giving yourself time to yourself. Regardless of what your self-care regimen is, it’s necessary. Self-care isn’t a passing fad, but rather it’s the time we give ourselves to process the baggage that everyday life brings with it. We unpack in that space and learn how we want to continue to position ourselves in the world to be as healthy and as happy as we possibly can with what is thrown at us. It’s there for emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual replenishment. It’s not a selfish idea to take time to check out and care for ourselves, despite what we are led to believe. By making ourselves our first priority we can be there more wholly for the people and things that matter most. There is no shame in pausing to invest in rest.
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