- Goutami M
Intern At Mind Splatters
“Self-care is whatever you need it to be.”
Life often gets taxing for your mental health. Sometimes, coming home from a long day leaves you completely drained, wishing there was something you could do to feel better. Or, some days, you may not even have the energy to push yourself out of the bed. The silver lining? There are some things you can do to feel slightly better, and these are majorly self-care steps.
Although there is some difference between external and internal self-care, both of them do have a positive effect on your body and mind. So, while self-care can include shopping, face masks, and a spa session, it is also important to remember that expressing your feelings, acknowledging your emotions, and taking a break are also elements of self-care. While there may be a sort of pressure to adhere to ‘aesthetic’ means, it is essential to choose what feels comforting and relaxing to you.
Some simple ways for external self-care -
Make that food or drink you’ve been wanting for some time now. Cooking often helps to increase your confidence and awareness. It helps to serve as an outlet for your frustration and gives a space for your creativity. The wide range of dishes to choose from allows flexibility in various aspects - difficulty level, time taken for preparation, etc. At the end of it, you have delicious food to fill your stomach or a drink to lighten the mood!
Take a long, hot, (or cold) shower. Wash your hair too if you prefer, and you can use shower gels with soothing scents. You can also wear a face mask before the shower, and a homemade one works just fine. Add in essential oils, neem leaves, or anything else that appeals to you. Turn on some tunes for a better experience! You can also end with moisturizing slowly and steadily to give yourself as much time to yourself as possible.
Take a walk. Sometimes, fresh air helps more than we give it credit for. Just the act of leaving your room can help you feel slightly better.
External self-care often goes a long way in helping with your mental health overall, so do give these simple methods a try!
Some internal self-care activities: -
Practice Guided Meditation in a quiet place. This will help when your thoughts are racing and you can't seem to clear your mind. It will help with increasing your focus, and concentration, or relax and calm down. Depending on your need, you can find one that applies to it. An added advantage is that you can find videos ranging from a duration of 5 minutes to more than 1 hour, making them extremely flexible. You also don't need a special setting or props, just a comfortable, quiet place will help work wonders.
Journaling: Sometimes, our thoughts and feelings overwhelm us, and it is necessary to provide an appropriate outlet. Writing them down will help to clear your mind and organize your thoughts. It also helps to ease the stress you feel and leads to an improved mode afterward.
3. Make time for an activity that will help you understand yourself better. You could
also try and answer some questions that help you to know yourself better.
All forms of self-care become extremely important in a world dominated by hustle culture. Although taking out some time every so often might get difficult, it is still just as essential, because your mental health matters.
Very well written and helpful
so good.