A mother’s advice to her daughter. What its like to be a mother.
Category: Self-Care
Some Advice from Jada Pinkett-Smith – Self-Care is Important
SparklyTips: Take Care of Yourself
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.
I Amplified my Anxiety Because…
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.
Take care of Yourself, You are your Most Prized Possession
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!
SparklyWarTanks 