Self-care is an act of nourishing and caring for the vessel of your body. Between Zoom calls, endless piles of homework, and extracurriculars, it can be hard to give your body the time it needs. In light of this week’s health days, here are some small ways to make sure you are putting yourself first.
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Get a good night of sleep.
One way to ensure that you are taking care of yourself is by getting an adequate amount of sleep. When other things start to pile up, sleep is often the first thing to be sacrificed. However, if we don’t give our brain the time it needs to rest, we cannot function. For this reason, getting a good night’s rest is the first step to being able to take care of yourself.
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Connect with others.
This can mean getting on FaceTime with your best friend, having coffee with someone new, or calling family members. One of the easiest ways to make ourselves feel good is by having people close to us that make us happy.
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Say yes to what you want to do.
Do you want to deep condition your hair? Read a new book? Watch a Netflix show? Try out knitting? Whatever has been on your mind that you’d really like to do, try it.
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Focus on being aware.
Have you ever stopped and thought, I’m alive right now? Take a few seconds and reflect on this statement. Feel the oxygen flow in and out of your lungs. Pay attention to the sounds that surround you. Take note of how you are feeling in the moment. This is incredibly easy to drown out with our natural generator of thoughts (a.k.a. your brain), or with earbuds that inundate your head with a beat. Take some time to be present with your body and stay in tune with what you feel and what you see.
These are four small ways to ensure that you are putting yourself first and providing your body with the attention that it needs.