Loving yourself and appreciating who you are as a person is a problem that most people struggle with, but we must change this. You should become your own biggest fan and this is why. There is one person that will be there for you and with you no matter what and that is yourself. As weird as it sounds, it’s true, every milestone you go through you’re the one person that you are always going to go through it with. Learning how to love myself is something I have struggled with for years and sometimes I still struggle with it. Slowly, I am learning how to fall in love with myself and how to appreciate who I am as a person without caring what other people think. I started to love myself more when I started to take more time for myself with self-care.
Self-Care is important and it is more than just doing face masks and eating ice cream. Self-Care is for everyone no matter your gender or your age. Taking time for yourself is so important and a lot of us neglect to do it. I know I certainly do at times. So, welcome to Jessica’s Declassified Self-Care Survival Guide, (for all you Gen-Z, and Millennials out there I hope you get the reference).
- Find something you love to do and don’t stop!
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For me learning how to sew has been the most therapeutic aspect of my life. I always knew how to sew a little bit, but one day I woke up and I decided that I wanted to make scrunchies. So I turned to Pinterest and I learned how to make a scrunchie which turned into opening my own Etsy shop and then learning how to make other projects. I found a new hobby, something that I loved, and carved time out of my busy schedule to do it. It was a time used to hang out with myself.
- Keep a journal!
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I do not care what anyone says, journaling should be a part of everyone’s routine. At the end of the day just write down anything you want about how your day went, your plans for tomorrow, that new song that came on the radio, whatever is on your mind just write it down. This allows your mind to be free of this information and is in a space for you. Everyone needs to rant, we’re all human, so if you have a journal you have a platform to rant to daily giving yourself some peace of mind.
- Spend time alone!
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Do not be afraid to say no to people if they’re doing something you do not feel like doing. Don’t feel obligated to spend all your time with other people. Alone time should be cherished. Go out and do something for yourself. My “me” time usually includes spending money, unfortunately, but it does not have to. For me I get my nails done, I go to the gym, I spend money on things I do not need, but spending money is no requirement to do something for yourself. If you want to bake some cookies just because then, bake the cookies. If you feel like going for a walk, drop everything and just take the walk. Do not be afraid to do things by yourself.
- Read a book!
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This is my favorite because I love reading. I know not everyone loves to read so if you’re not a reader feel free to skip this step. Although, you spend most of your time reading without acknowledging that you’re doing it. I have always loved reading, but I go months without doing it because life happens, however, I have started to try and make it a part of my daily routine and honestly I feel like I am sleeping better at night. I made a goal to read 10 pages a day minimum and a lot of times that’s all I get to, but it is a start and it is better than nothing. Find a book you love and do not want to put down, you will thank yourself later.
- Just enjoy the day!
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I know we all have responsibilities, sadly it is a part of life. But, if there is one thing I learned is that it’s okay to be lazy sometimes. It’s only week three of the semester and I already feel drained with school and work, so sometimes on my day off I just feel like binging the latest crime docu-series that has been uploaded and that’s okay! You should never feel guilty about wanting to just enjoy the day without doing anything. If it’s nice out and all you want to do is bathe in the sun (obviously not during these cold somber months) then do it. Do not overwork yourself to the point where you burn out and never take time to enjoy life.
These tips do not even scratch the surface of everything I do for my daily self-care. At the end of the day though, it is important to remember to take care and time for yourself. You need to become your biggest fan and your best friend. You are the only person that will be by your side throughout your entire life. So, take time for yourself. If other people look at you weirdly for looking into the mirror and saying “wow I love myself” then that’s their problem. Practice self-care, and love yourself.