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Prioritize self-care
Self-care is such an important step to feeling rejuvenated! I cannot stress this enough~ do things for yourself that make you feel good. If
you enjoy putting on a facemask while drinking cranberry juice in a wine glass and watching the Bachelorette, you should be putting aside
the time to do so! If your self-care includes something as minimal as trimming your nails or as extravagant as a 14-step skin care routine,
you need to make time to take care of yourself and do those tasks. Personally, I have set dates and times that I routinely conduct self-care.
And yes, I do have my salicylic face mask day on Mondays at 8 during the Bachelorette! Think about small changes , like switching your
classic pasta for spinach or chickpea pasta, adding spinach into your smoothies, or eating sandwiches with wheat bread; This will all help
effortlessly add more protein and fiber into your diet without the hassle of entirely changing your eating habits. You do NOT need to cut
out fun foods that you enjoy, like cake, just eat it and enjoy yourself, but make conscious decisions to add nutritious value to your meals.
Also, do not take working out as a cheat code to “working off” what you eat. Fitness should be purely for cardiovascular health, muscular
health, etc. You should try not to be ashamed of nourishing your body or indulging in your food desires. One educational YouTube
channel that I recently discovered that discusses relationships to food is by Nutritionist Abby Sharp. I definitely recommend checking out
her content, which focuses on maintaining a healthy relationship with food and denouncing diet culture. She brings a great perspective
that I believe many need to hear!
Try new recipes
Adjacent to the topic of maintaining healthy eating habits, changing up the regular menu can be a fun way to spice up your diet. Do not
feel obligated to jump in headfirst with Vegan Golden Lentil Dal with Cilantro Speckled Basmati. Trying simple recipes, even if they are not
super healthy, can still be a very enjoyable experience that makes the highlight of your day. Try to step a little bit out of your comfort zone
when it comes to foods! Set aside the time to plan the meal you want to try and just jump right into it!
Go outside
This one should be self-explanatory, but sometimes, we just need to go outside and touch some grass. You could go on a walk or a bike ride
through your neighborhood and just let the sunlight bathe you. If you don’t necessarily love being outside, just a few minutes a day to go
pick up the mail or sit on the porch or driveway will hopefully give you the vitamin D that you need to keep going. However, for my nature
lovers out there, find activities that you can enjoy outside, like homework or arts and crafts. Try to find a place you enjoy going that you
find beautiful and that energizes you!
Tap into your creative side
If you’re a person that enjoys the arts, make sure that you hone your skills. Paint a tree, draw an animal, write a song, make a play, do
something that will stimulate your interests and make you feel good! I feel like many people lost themselves from the motions of life, but
now is the time, more than ever , to reinvigorate your creative interests. Make a fanfic. Write poetry. Make jewelry. I will say it again, make
time for things that you enjoy in your life. There is nothing worse than realizing that you’ve been wasting your time doing things that don’t
bring you happiness.
Find new hobbies or get deeper into old hobbies
Reacquainting yourself with things that used to interest you is a great way to reconnect with yourself and things that bring you joy. But if
you’re anything like me, you never established solid hobbies and now is a great time for self-discovery. Personally, I have come to enjoy
journaling, researching, cooking, and trying out new self-care tips. You can always learn your niche through experimentation. Try new
things, but if you don’t like something, don’t force yourself into it. There are more things to try and eventually you will discover your thing,
whether it be crocheting or video games or something more active like yoga. Being open can lead to great outcomes!!
Switch up your style!
I’m not going to say that clothing makes a person, however clothing does have a significant influence on our confidence and how we
present ourselves. Style choice is entirely up to you, whether you chose to go with a boho vibe or a goth aesthetic should not be influenced
by anyone else! Wear what makes you feel your best, be confident in your appearance, and do it for yourself. Dress up to get the mail or go
to the grocery store. Being self-conscious is not an option! The only thing you’ll feel if you didn’t wear what you wanted to is regret, so I say
JUST DO IT!
Schedule video calls with friends
Socialization is very important in keeping your mental health intact during times of isolation. Even introverts need time to be social with
others. One thing that I know I had an issue with during quarantine is that I stopped talking to my friends, which really led to loneliness
when I actually wanted to talk to others. Reconnect with friends!! Do not feel ashamed to send a text after not talking for a while. You can
also schedule video calls on Zoom, Teams, FaceTime, etc. and do fun activities. Technology is such a useful tool for doing anything under
the sun, but you can always get creative with the things that you do while hanging out. You can talk, play games, watch movies, or even
work out with friends!!
Research things that interest you
As I said, one of my hobbies that I would like to share is researching. I don’t necessarily mean deep dives into the cause of World War 2
(unless you like that stuff). But researching for things that you may want to do in the future is always a fun experience for discovery.
Personally, I like to get into things like colleges, careers, and big purchases (cars and houses). You may be more interested in researching
for the Italy trip you may want to take or even the business you may want to build. Finding time to create a vision for your life may help
you create insight on who you want to be and that’s what I truly love about researching. You don’t necessarily need to do it on yourself, like
I said, a deep dive into a historical topic may be a thing that brings you excitement and of course you should indulge in that! But finding
something that interests you and you would like to know more about is key to this experience. ( Article Continued On Next Page)
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