Self Care Sunday: What self-care means to us and how we practice it
Updated: Jul 15, 2021
With our stress levels higher than normal*, it is essential to take a moment. Hit pause, and take a moment for yourself. Self-care has become a key player in many of our daily lives, and learning what works best for you is part of the journey! Everyone is different in how they find that much-needed inner peace. I heard from my fellow interns, Clara O., and Jill about what self-care means to them and what they do to practice taking care of themselves!
Our intern Miriam says, "Self-care, to me, is taking some time out of your week to focus on the things you might've neglected amongst the hustle and bustle. I like to sit down and distract myself for a bit, put myself on autopilot and relax. Putting on an audiobook and doing laundry, cleaning my room, or working on a project that interests me. Focusing on my therapy and things I can do to better myself. Gathering some inspiration from my environment and being kind to myself. Treating myself to something that I've been eyeing for a while. Self-care to me is putting me, my mental health, and wellbeing first for a little while."
And our other intern Abby says that “Self-Care is not only taking care of your body but also your mind, and making sure you are doing what you can to make you the happiest and best version of yourself. One form of self-care for me recently has been finding the friends that bring me joy and moving away from those that don’t. Another is dealing with moments of overstimulation or anxiety, in those moments it is best to just focus on what will make me feel better. Anna said it best in Frozen 2: do the next right thing. :)”
For Clara O., “Self-care has been learning to say no. That doesn't mean (by any means) that I'll stop helping people as much as I can or that I will change the way I am, but it means that I have to put myself first sometimes and get my things done before I commit to helping others, otherwise I will keep feeling overwhelmed and burned out."
And Jill says “I’m still trying to figure out what and how self-care looks for me, but one piece of advice given to me about self-care has stuck with me. It’s to ask myself everyday what I need. I need to determine what self-care looks like for me on a daily basis. Do I need to read? Do I need to take a nap? Do I need to write in my journal? Do I need to go for a walk? I’m constantly reminding myself to focus on the “right now” need.”
To me, self-care is knowing or finding your boundaries, and taking care of your body! I think having that moment where you allow yourself to relax is incredibly important. Taking a walk, listening to music while I clean my apartment, or having a nice nap are all ways I practice self-care!
In the coming weeks, we will continue our series on self-care, keep reading for more!
Clara Busé is a recent graduate from SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design. She has a BFA in Writing and is currently working from her hometown, Atlanta.