Beauty is such a complicated thing that we often have to individually pin point why we are beautiful. My beauty mark is the ability to express who I am and why I love myself. My beauty mark is the ability to take a picture with a smile because you are beautiful. My beauty mark is knowing that you are special. My beauty mark is why I am beautiful.
A mother’s advice to her daughter. What its like to be a mother.
In thinking and understanding what self-care means for you, its important to consider what you feel is important in taking care of yourself.
Think about what you value and why you value it.
If you value time with friends, then spend some time during the week to relax and chill with friends. Make sure, however, that you are giving yourself time to do what you value and what you need to do t maintain sanity along side your responsibilities. Carve out time to balance work and things you want to do.
If you value alone time with music or TV, carve out time just to relax, watch TV, Netflix, or Hulu, eat some popcorn and relax. This time is more important then you think. Give your body time to rest.
And DON’T WORRY ABOUT THINGS DURING THIS TIME TO YOURSELF!
Whatever it is that you like to do, spent time doing it. Singing, dancing, spending time with friends, eating out occasionally, are all important if you value doing it.
Make sure to eat right.
This is big because I know I don’t eat right. Make sure to eat at least three times a day. Have a balanced diet. Eating is very very important. Food gives you energy! Take vitamins too!
Sleep!
Along with food, you need sleep! Without sleep you will not function as sufficiently as you want. I know its difficult sometimes especially as a student or a worker, a mom, but get as much sleep as possible. If you can, sleep at least 8 hours a night.
Save time to reflect about things that are happening.
Often times we are so caught up in life that we let life get ahead of us. Take time to sit back and reflect on things that are happening around you. What did that A on that text mean? Or that C? That conversation with mom was really deep. Keep tabs on what is going on even if that means slowing down. If you realize that you are loosing track of whats happening, its time to slow down and reflect.
**Also if you need help, please seek help! Its worth going out and speaking to someone you trust. Talk to your best friend, a counselor, a therapist, your mom, dad, anyone who you feel will help you maintain a mental and physical balance.
Oh! Don’t forget to go to the doctor!
Check ups help you to know that your body is doing okay. Stress is not good for the body, if you feel changes happening to you, time to visit the doctor! ( I know, I don’t like it either)
Although this is not everything there is to say about self-care, these things are some important aspects you can consider when thinking about self-care.
Before
My senior year has been very rough this past couple of months. I slept the whole night half the week, the other half I stood up doing work and took short naps throughout the night. I never ate breakfast because class was more important. I never had time to start assignments early because I always had assignments due that day. In one week in September I had a panic attack every day of the week. I didn’t sleep well, I barely ate and if I did I ate one meal. I wasn’t taking care of myself. I panicked because I was stressed. I was anxious. I was scared. Each panic was due to a stressor that was out of my control or in my control that I lacked motivation to do. Things from home, assignments, tests, talking to other people, feeling weak, hopeless, and worthless were all the things I thought about and caused anxiety in me.
Why am I here?…What is my purpose?….What am I going to do after college?…Can I even get into grad school?
I was trapped in my own insecurities. Trapped in my own self-pity. Trapped in self-doubt. Trapped in fear. Trapped.
……..
Why was I anxious?
I was anxious because I wasn’t taking care of myself and I lacked energy, I lacked energy because I wasn’t eating right. I wasn’t sleeping sufficiently. I lacked motivation because I felt like I couldn’t do it. I was just tired. I didn’t want to continue.
After
But here is how I improved!
I can do it. I got this far to finish. I am worth it.
It wasn’t easy for me to realize I wasn’t a superhero, but I ultimately went for help. I went to talk to someone. I sat in the small room. I blurted out why to a stranger sitting in front of me because it was their job. It helped. I was able to talk about why. Why all of a sudden I couldn’t anymore.
Things are not fixed or perfect now, but I can say that I appreciate that I can identify what I need help in. I can’t achieve my goals in one night. Time is a thing. I have to be patient and I have to take care of myself in the mean time. If I don’t take care of myself I can’t achieve my goals to begin with.
I still barely sleep and I eat for the most part, but I changed how I thought about my circumstance.
I am good enough to do what I put my mind to.
Note: Make sure to take care of yourself because you are important, and you are worth it, and you can do it. Anything you put your mind to is yours already. Take time into consideration. Its okay to take breaks if you have to just get back and keep going.
I was tired, I wasn’t taking care of myself, I amplified my anxiety but now I know that I’m important too. My goals need me in the equation.
Loving yourself and appreciating who you are also comes with taking care of yourself. Often times we may forget, in the mist of all of our obligations and responsibilities, that we need to take care of ourselves too. We can’t function and be who we are if we are not healthy and well mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It may seem unimportant to simply have time to ourselves, sleep in once in a while, go out and have fun, but it’s as important as taking showers and brushing our teeth! All of these things are necessary in order to maintain sanity and appreciate the sun coming up in the morning and going down at night. Sometimes we need to take two seconds and reflect on everything that is going on around us. Stepping back and reflecting allows us to process and take in situations and experiences. If we are always on the go, if we are always running, we become overwhelmed and tired, we may even see ourselves loosing motivation and happiness. We don’t want to lose reasons to wake up and see worth in every day!
Let’s take care of ourselves!
— Sheila Murray Bethel
About 5 days ago I laid in my bed after a long and tiring day. As I laid in bed I struggled to see the reasons why I’m in school. You know, like those moments where you ask yourself why. The why for me in that moment came down like a ton of bricks. I felt like I wasn’t good enough to be where I am in life, in school. I started doubting myself and asking questions about whether I’m doing as good as I thought in my classes. I just felt horrible and I didn’t know why the doubt and confusion struck me so hard. It was hard to tell myself, Nina its okay! You’re doing your best and that’s all you can give.
Now that I reflect on that moment, on a time that I felt worthless, powerless, and doubted my potential, I see that where I am in life itself represents what I can do and where I can go if I work on myself along with taking opportunities that can help me reach where I want to go in my future.
Although the why’s that pop up randomly sometimes make us think critically about our current position, where we are, and if we are actually making progress toward our true potential, they help us to see that we are going somewhere! Going somewhere, whether it’s small, whether it’s moving toward saying I’m okay today, I appreciate myself today, I’m beautiful today, I made it through work today, I can today is meaningful progress. Those why’s can be so blurry, but when they become clearer so does realizing your path and potential.
Stay positive and keep going!
I’m not saying that you have to be a feminist to show your true potential, nor do you have to agree with everything Roxane Gay has to say, but she does a brilliant job at showing her views! She’s says she’s a “bad feminist,” but she is beautiful and amazing at realizing and showing her potential through her views on women and ways in which she sees the world through her eyes.
Potential revealed through words and perspective.
It’s not always easy realizing the power and worth you have. Potential is revealed through hard work and dedication, but if you are not willing or motivated to push past boundaries to see your fullest potential then it’s difficult to see yourself as anything but average. I’m here to say that your power and worth is greater than what you see yourself to be. Your worth is built up on the ability, your ability, to strive and reach for your maximum potential. The more you see yourself worthy, the more your power and potential is manifested in the way you walk, talk, and carry out even the smallest everyday tasks.
Strive to find that power. Strive to see that worth. Strive to reach your fullest potential! Potential does not have to mean strain and it doesn’t have to mean running a marathon, or becoming tired, potential is everything that makes you YOU! Potential is your capacity to show the worth who you are, to show yourself that you can be who you want to be despite societal expectation. Potential can mean the way you discuss your passions to a stranger, potential can mean the way you communicate with your family and friends, potential can mean the way you love yourself enough to keep going to work or school even though you are struggling. Potential gives birth to self-worth and power in oneself. Giving yourself freedom to live and be yourself is manifested potential. Not everyone is able to realize their worth and power because they have given up their fight on potential.
Being yourself, loving yourself, valuing yourself, and finding worth in who you are and what you can bring forth in encountering tasks and people you meet shows your potential and your power.
Show everyone what you are made of!
SparklyWarTanks 