In light of Valentine's Day and the theme of love, it's time to talk about self love. Recently I have been running myself ragged. Trying to just survive another day, thinking to myself "I just have to make it through tomorrow and then everything will be okay". I know just as much as anyone else being a full time student and working several jobs is not easy and your mental health is just as important as physical health.
I took my first mental health day this week, and let me tell you...it was LIFE CHANGING. Normally missing a day of classes would stress me out, but I was stressing so much about everything else I had to do that week that I felt suffocated. It was upsetting me to the point where it was all I could think about, but I wouldn't do anything to progress on the assignments that I had to do. With thanks to a little bit of snow and my car's bad tires I decided not to go to class one day so that I could catch up on my work that I was worrying so much about. Having the whole day to myself, not seeing anyone, watching a little bit of HGTV and just being in my own head was just amazing. I felt so much better, like I was able to take a deep breath and let everything go. I want to feel like this more often, so here are a few things I am going to do to show myself some love.
Buy myself a coffee
I'm not someone who needs coffee just to wake up in the morning (at least not yet) so I use it as a treat, like a "hey you made it through today, here's a present from me" kind of thing. It doesn't have to be a cup of coffee; I sometimes will buy myself something I don't usually get like candy or a new pair of shoes. Giving myself little things to look forward to at the end of the day will motivate me to get things finished and give me more time for myself.
Breathe
Whether it's taking a whole day off or just 5 minutes in my car I am going to take some time to get rid of the negative energy. I used to search on YouTube for meditation videos to listen to some guy talk to me and he would tell me to release all the stress from my body. I remember feeling as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders after I finished one of those videos.
Focus
Focus on the things that are most important to me: my friends and family. Instead of worrying about school and everything I have due, I'm going to spend some extra time with my boyfriend, call my mom or get lunch with my friends. My downfall has always been focusing so much on my work that I let my friendships and relationships fail. Focusing on the ones I love most will help me to focus on myself and my mental health.
Lately I have learned that loving yourself is just as important as loving other people. This is what I want to do to help myself but everyone is different. So treat yourself every once in awhile, eat that extra scoop of ice cream or take a day off, your mental health is worth it.