self care (mh awareness week 6/7)

This week is The Mental Health Foundation’s “Mental Health Awareness Week” 2019 (13-19th May). In honour of this, I will be posting a blog post each day this week with the theme of mental health. This gives some inspiration for self-care methods and activities.

Everyone needs to give themselves a bit of extra attention every once in a while, and in my opinion you should do some sort of self care whenever you have time, and even set aside some time for it.

Write. Write about your day, write a story, write about a topic, a bucket list, a five year plan, lifetime goals, letter to your younger self, letter to your future self, letter to someone else, the possibilities are endless! You could even find a pen pal so you can look forward to a response. I feel that writing (or typing) feels really therapeutic to me, it’s actually how I started my blog as I figured if I’m writing all of these things I may as well publish them somewhere and hopefully help others. 

Read. The flip side of writing is reading. This can be books, magazines, blogs, anything. Reading can often distract your mind and take you somewhere else. Especially in the case of fiction books and stories where you can mentally transport yourself into them.

Side note : Read in the bath, you’ll feel a lot more relaxed with the steam and bubbles surrounding you.

Draw. Or colour in. These are some of my favourite things to do when I need an escape. Even if you’re like me and don’t have much artistic skill, it is still a great escape from the world. If I start drawing I can go for hours and I will just totally focus on that, maybe with some tv or music on in the back. The “adult” colouring in books are great if you have the patience for them because they really do take HOURS if you get the super detailed ones with intricate designs. The simpler ones are better for me because I hate focusing on one thing for so long, but it does feel great when you finish it.

Remove toxicity. This is a longer process and isn’t just a quick activity to immediately make you feel better. It’s so important to recognise what in your life is toxic, whether that be your job, your relationship or your own behaviours, you need to remove it in order to take care of yourself. 

Exercise. Obviously exercise is good for your physical health (which in turn will make you feel better in terms of mental health as well). But, exercise releases endorphins which automatically make you feel positive feelings, therefore it acts as a self care activity. Taking a walk yourself or with family/friends can be a good distraction or time to reflect, as well as yoga or stretches can be great to make you feel in tune with your body and relaxed. The 7 minute workout app is great for a quick workout to still release those endorphins from the comfort of your bedroom. Or if you want to build up to more intense exercise, try the couch to 5k app and if the app works for you then in ten weeks you could easily run a 5k.

Cry. Lately there seems to be a trend of being “hard hearted” and being someone who “never cries”, but crying is natural and healthy and sometimes it’s exactly what you need. Cry yourself or with others, but get it all out and you’ll feel a sense of relief after.

Put your phone away. Sometimes we all need time away from the outside world to focus on ourselves. You don’t have to totally come away from technology, you could put your phone away to watch tv but to actually focus on the film you’re watching instead of watching a minute then reading a tweet on a cycle for an hour and a half (or three hours if it’s avengers endgame…)

Celebrate accomplishments. It’s so important to recognise hat you’ve done that is positive, rather than focusing on what you still have to do. You could write a list of what you’ve done today r over the week, month, even a year. Or focus in on a specific area; what have you accomplished at work? At school? In the home? Looking at everything you’ve done is a great way to feel accomplished.

Spread positivity. This is very broad because you can do it in so many ways. I recently made a “positivity wall” in my bedroom with colourful pictures of positive quotes and messages for when I need that extra bit of encouragement, and so far it makes me feel so much happier when I look at it (and it brightens up the plain white). Also spreading kindness to others through compliments is a great way to spread positivity to others and yourself.

Organise. I recently organised my book shelf, university notes and paperwork that I had lying about. It made me feel so organised and it’s way easier to find things now, so it’s a relaxing activity at the time as well as looking out for future me and making it easier for her to find stuff.

Travel. Organising a trip can be such a quick process if you take it one, but it can also be super lengthy if you want it to be. Thinking about an upcoming holiday makes you feel excited, so looking at blogs or blogs about where you’re going, doing your research, looking at what to pack, what you’re going to do etc can really make you feel premature excitement. Also, looking at places you want to travel.

Get ready. Put on something that makes you feel comfortable, or something that makes you feel good in it, put on some makeup, do your hair and you’ll feel so good about yourself and how you look.

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