With the stress of school starting to pile up, it can be hard to take a break. Some believe it is a waste of time doing something even the slightest bit unproductive when time could be better spent studying for that one history exam, running that extra mile or practicing the choreography just one more time. Taking a nap or going for a walk seems selfish now because there is too much to do and not enough time to do it all.
Self-care affects others as well. You cannot pour from an empty cup. People must take care of themselves first in order to effectively help or take care of others. Balance is necessary.
“If I really want to be there for someone else, I have to be kind of clear in my head. I have to feel good,” Woodbridge High mental health specialist Franklyn Belsey said.
The more time spent taking care of yourself, the easier it is to be reasonable, patient and understanding towards others. Feeling upset or drained makes it harder to talk to people.
Communication becomes a lot easier when you spend time on yourself every once in a while.
“If you are constantly bringing this energy of being down all the time, your friend…or whoever’s around you is also going to start feeling that energy,” junior and Hope Squad member Marleen Juarez said.
Hopelessness. Anger. Depression. Anxiety. Feeling these so-called “bad emotions” is not wrong at all. Everyone feels them. It is normal to not feel one hundred percent positive all of the time.
Creating consistent self-care habits can also improve your mental health exponentially.
According to Mental Health First Aid, a national study on Americans and self-care proved that doing practicing self-gratitude activities enhanced confidence by 64 percent and increased happiness by 71 percent. It is also important to note that people can have different forms of self-care.
“Personally, things I do would be to put stuff aside that have stressed me out and do things that relax me like playing video games or watching TV shows,” junior Joel Rejive said.
What is great about self-care is that it is different for everyone. Some activities can include singing, exercising, cooking or really anything that brings joy. Self-care does not even have to be any longer than five minutes. Simply practicing mindfulness can help.
Similar to how negativity spreads due to a lack of self-care, positivity can easily be spread by taking care of yourself. Belsey encourages practicing self-care because when other people see you practicing self-care, it makes them want to do it too. This can strengthen the bonds with your friends and create a more inviting environment for others.
Caring for yourself can also raise awareness. Taking a bit of extra time a day to yourself can put you in the mindset to think about others too which can make you a better, kinder and more admirable person overall. Being nicer to yourself helps you be more attentive to the people around you. This could mean checking in when someone who needs help, opening the door for others or even just saying “hello” to people as they pass between passing periods.
“…When you acknowledge someone, they know that there’s someone that knows that they exist…I’ve always had people kind of acknowledge me and…I felt that,” Juarez said.
The simple things can make someone’s day just a little bit better. Showing basic gratitude when someone has done something for you is also another way to display kindness.
“I think also just people saying thank you to me for helping them out in any way…they didn’t have to say thank you but it still feels good,” Belsey said.
Especially with school work adding each day and semester finals coming up in a month, it can be so hard to find time to just do something for yourself. However, taking care of yourself is extremely important, not just for your own mental and physical health, but it also shapes the kind of person you present to the world. Taking a little bit of time out of your day to do something that makes you feel amazing or relaxed can do so much in the long run.
If the world is to be a place of kindness and compassion for everyone, it must first start with you taking care of your own needs. If you want to be successful in any task of your day to day life, you must be in a clear state of mind to work, communicate and provide support. Doing so will build and foster a positive community for you and your peers.
So if you will not do it for yourself, practice self-care for your friends, your family and for all of the people in your future.
