2019 was a rough year. It left us exhausted, stressed, and ultimately unhealthy. (If you thrived in 2019, you are a star!) This past semester was hands down the worst semester of school I’ve ever had. Everyone around me seemed to be going through a slump. We were constantly stressed, unmotivated, annoyed, and not our best selves. During finals season, my diet consisted of caffeine pills, chips, and energy drinks. My body was hanging on by a thread at school and completely crumbled when I went home for winter break.
After struggling with acid reflux, indigestion, mental breakdowns, and chronic neck pain for the entirety of winter break, I had a huge health wake up call. I failed to take care of myself, and my body suffered as a result. College culture glorifies being busy: getting no sleep, running on caffeine, eating fast food, binge drinking, etc, and it is so toxic. When we keep pushing our bodies to its breaking point, it will undoubtedly break! Now that it’s 2020 – a whole new decade – it’s time to recognize the importance of self-care and take the needed steps towards improving it.
Instead of making unrealistic New Year’s resolutions, I wrote down a list of 5 things that I could do to take care of my mental and physical health. These are not monumental; they are simply small steps to take towards living a healthier lifestyle, and I think we all need to consider doing these things as we forge into the new year.
Drink more water
Photo via Pixabay from Pexels.com
Water seriously does wonders! Simply drinking a glass of lemon water in the morning will boost your metabolism and help replenish your skin.
The average person should drink around 8 glasses of water a day, yet many people don’t. To keep myself accountable, I recently started using the app Plant Nanny to keep track of how much water I drink in a day. In the app, you grow a plant, and every time you drink water, you water your plant. If you don’t drink enough water, your plant becomes dehydrated and dies. It is a super cute and fun way to implement this new habit.
Do yoga
Photo via theformfitness from Pexels.com
I am someone who is always stressed, and that takes a toll on my body. When I don’t have time to fully work out at the gym, I do yoga instead. A short 20-30 minute practice is enough to ease my mind and relax my body. I highly recommend watching Yoga with Adrienne on Youtube and doing her practices before bed.
Take daily vitamins
Photo via Pixabay from Pexels.com
To avoid getting sick, make sure to figure out which vitamins you are deficient in and take them! I neglected taking my daily vitamins for years, and it negatively impacted my body. My immune system was very weak, and I was always tired and had muscle pain. Ladies, take your Vitamin D supplement! Most women are usually deficient. Don’t make the same mistake as I did.
Spend some time alone
Photo via Victor Freitas from Pexels.com
As an extroverted person, I hate being alone. Constant interaction with others energizes me and distractes me from my negative thoughts. However, using others to run away from your problems actually make them worse. It’s okay to spend some time alone and reflect on the areas you need to improve. I like to schedule in time on the weekends to bullet journal, relax, and listen to podcasts while taking walks; these activities all help relieve anxious thoughts. Sometimes you just have to be your own best friend.
Write notes to yourself
Photo via Author
I think sometimes we all just need a reminder that it is okay to not be okay. We get so caught up in the expectations we have for ourselves that the progress we do make goes unnoticed. This month, I added a “Note to Self” spread in my bullet journal to simply remind myself of the small things in life.