Life is hard. Shocking, right? There are a million things to do and not enough time to do them. Between work, friends, and the general stresses of adulting, it can be easy to forget to take care of yourself. I’m definitely guilty of running myself into the ground. My physical, emotional, and mental health tend to be shoved aside so that I can focus on more “pressing” issues. After more meltdowns than I can count, I think I’ve finally learned the value of self-care. Here are some of my self-care pro tips:
1. Don’t let other people’s wants eclipse your needs
The iconic scene from Grey’s Anatomy where Cristina reminds Meredith to stand up for herself is the definition of self-care. Thinking about Meredith willingly giving up everything for the love of her life is infuriating but we all have moments where we put other people’s wants before our needs. Putting yourself first isn’t a bad thing. It shows that you care about your wellbeing and know what you deserve.
I recently read Treat Yourself How You Treat Others and thought it was phenomenal. Jess’ spin on the Golden Rule is my new mantra. We put so much effort into being good to others but forget to be good to ourselves. If we were as kind and encouraging to ourselves as we are to those around us, our lives would be so much better.
2. Take breaks from social media
Scrolling through social media is more draining than you realize. Although it can be a lot of fun, it’s also a massive waste of time and can be really detrimental. I had to learn this the hard way. I consider myself an accomplished Facebook stalker. I’m the friend that people come to when they want to find out anything about anyone. This might be why I don’t have time to do everything I need to…
Anyway, Facebook stalking is something I excel at but I recently learned how unhealthy it is. Not going to lie, I was in a bad place at the end of last year. A lot of people had let me down and I was having a hard time accepting my new normal. I knew that I needed to take a step back from everyone but I kept wondering what certain people were up to. I attempted to cut them out of my life but constantly checked their social media, which just made the situation worse. Even when I wasn’t actively checking their social media, they would show up on my timeline or a mutual friend would tag them in a post. Eventually, I had to accept that I needed a break. I imposed a 2-week social media detox, which was harder than I expected but so worth it. It forced me to stop obsessing and finally focus on my own healing.
Even if you don’t need a detox, unplugging is something to consider. Take some time to be on your own without being bombarded with (mostly useless) information and drama. Don’t use your phone for the first 15 minutes after you wake up and the last 30 minutes before you sleep. Unplugging gives you time to do more important things. I like to have my devotional, read a book, plan my day, catch up with my flatmates, or just enjoy my own company while I unplug.
3. Sleep
Sleep is required for your body to function properly. Getting a good night’s sleep gives you time to recover from the day and get ready for the next one. It also reduces stress and improves your mood. Unfortunately, uni life and sleeping well seem incompatible 99% of the time. Sleep becomes more of a luxury than a necessity. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” has become one of my most used phrases. This is obviously not a healthy lifestyle. This semester, I’m making a conscious effort to get more sleep. I’ve had to remind myself that sleep is a study skill and without it, I’m basically useless.
4. Set boundaries
You can’t be everything for everybody. More importantly, you shouldn’t be everything for everybody. Everyone has limits and you need to figure out what yours are. Your time, energy, and emotional capital are priceless and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Establish boundaries so that you aren’t surrounded by people and activities that are more harmful than helpful.Remember that it’s okay to say no. You don’t need to come up with a justification for saying no. Not wanting to do something is a good enough reason.
I touched on my terrible habit of giving my all to people and my attempt to change in The Year of Reprioritizing. Establishing limits and sticking to them has been harder than I expected. There are days when I fall back into old patterns and have to remind myself of the boundaries that I’ve set. It’s a daily process but it’s definitely worth it.
5. Exercise
I have a love/hate (more hate than love) relationship with exercising but even I’ll admit that it’s an important part of life. Playing tennis is my favorite way to de-stress and stay active, even though I haven’t picked up my racket in a while. I’ve been told that running is also good but I still believe that you only need to run if you’re being chased. If neither of these is appealing, find a different way to stay in shape and clear your mind. I highly recommend starting off the day with either yoga or Zumba.
6. Embrace your emotions
Keeping things in isn’t healthy or helpful. In order to deal with your emotions, you have to let yourself feel them. Write down what you’re feeling, figure out why you feel that way, and think of ways to either change or maintain that feeling. It might sound stupid but I promise that it works.
I love doing all of these things, it’s such a huge help to keep me centered, thank you for sharing!
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I enjoyed reading this. I completely agree thattaking a break from social media is completely necessary for self care
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SAY IT AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!
YESSS! These are such great tips, I can’t even chose a favorite! Setting boundaries is something that seems to be difficult for most of us, but gosh so necessary!
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I had to remind myself again today about boundaries. They’re hard to maintain but it gets easier
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Yes! I’ve always said you have to fit your own oxygen mask first! Prayer and meditation helps, too!
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My relationship with exercise is so fragile haha, mostly hate from me. I agree that a social media detox is a must in this day and age.
Vivian | LIVE IN LOVE
IG | @viviyunn_
~
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I have to bribe myself to exercise but I’m getting better about it! We can motivate each other!
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Thank you for this reminder and all the other good tips as well!
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I really enjoy your tips in this post. I definitely need to take some break from social media from time to time and sleep better. Thanks for sharing.
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This was really nice to read, I am all for taking breaks from social media which really does help and I love my sleep. Though when it comes to exercise,Lord knows I could use some help with that lol.
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I am great about self care – except when it comes to getting off social media. That being said, I try my best to not let it affect me negatively and for the most part, I can easily do that. But you know, being a lady, we tend to get moody so once in a blue moon, social media makes me UGHHH – lol!
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Social media is great… until it’s not. Definitely have to give myself reality checks and put down my phone
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These are some great tips–self care is so important. I make sure to get breaks and I go read, since it’s one of my favorite things to do.
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Self care is so important. I always forget to take time for myself and end up stressed out beyond belief.
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Yes loving oneself is most imp. Thanks for shedding light on imp aspects, will try my best to follow it.
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These are great tips. I always try and get 9 hours asleep because if I don’t, I can’t seem to function. Exercise, since starting that a couple of months ago, I feel better! Now to take more breaks from social media!
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taking sleep or going to the spa is the best for me! i feel so rejuvenated each time after and so ready to take on the world! lol!
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I could really relate to #4 setting boundaries right about now. I’ve been taking that into consideration for sure.
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These are all such great ways to self care! I try my best to follow all of these 🙂
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We are so lost nowadays that we don’t even have time for ourselves. The post clearly indicates where we should be focusing on. Will try to follow these tips on self-care for sure. 🙂
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You give some really great advice here girl … Struggling with 2 as we speak! So addicted to my social media and it’s really affecting EVERYTHING! Don’t be me guys! lol
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I’m such a social media addict. Had to delete the Facebook and Instagram apps for a while just to get myself under control!
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These are some great tips, I think self care is a must and something we all often forget about. I definitely think we all need to take time from social media.
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Great tips! I love taking time out for me. It’s like medicine for my soul! I need to do it more often.
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I’m so guilty of #2. I often think to myself, “I will spend 15 mins on social media for today”… next thing I know an hour has passed! I hate it, but it happens too often. I need more will power! lol
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These are some great self care tips .As a blogger we mostly spend time on social media taking break from all this becomes almost impossible but I think it’s necessary for keeping mind calm and stress free.
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Only this last year have I realised how important self care is. We really need to make it part of our daily routine and remember it’s okay to be selfish sometimes and put ourselves first
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Damn you are so right. I just start swimming more on a schedule kind of way and damn it helps like hell. I’m not good at embracing or even accepting my feelings. I really have to work on them.
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Sometimes we get so engrossed in our work and social media to the point of forgetting about caring for ourselves which is very important. For me, sleep really works too much and yes, I take a break totally from my phone and laptop.
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As a mom it’s a lot harder to get self-care b/c you’re constantly putting your kids first. But social media is a good thing to take a break from – for your kids and own mental health!
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OMG self care is key. Self-care is my focus this year.
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For me, self care sounds like an alien language. I must admit that I have not been minding my needs. There are times that I even feel guilty taking a nap! Oh my. This has to stop. I wish my family would understand that I need time off for myself too.
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This is so important ❤ Self care is a life saver and is different for everyone!
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In today’s world, I think self care is the most important thing to do. And you have listed all relevant points that we need to think about.
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I completely agree with all of this. Self care is so important and not enough people take it seriousl enough.
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Excellent advice! Sleep is the one that eludes me the most and is probably the most important. Everything seems better after a good night’s sleep!
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That is actually my mantra for this year, to put myself first. I realized I’ve been putting everyones welfare before my own and I end up drained and have nothing left for myself. So I am changing the tide this time.
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Self care is so important but most of us get caught up in the proverbial rat race and we never focus on taking care of ourselves more.
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Self-care is so important we need to give ourselves a time. and having a good and complete sleep is so fulfilling. and sometimes, we need to treat ourselves too. Have a relaxing pamper time.
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I love this, all you have mention is such great tips. Thank you.
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Ah, great read! I agree with you, self-care is really important. If you don’t love yourself enough, how will you expect others to love you?
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I am working hard on acting on the perspective that I cannot be everything for everybody is a principle I have to work on. I am working on setting up boundaries.
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I try to take plenty of social media breaks. It can really put me out and down.
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Self care is so important. I recently just took a step back from my blogging for a couple of months to just reflect on me and my life and the direction I wanted to take with it.
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One of my new yeras resolutions is to try and “self-care.” I have this habbit of helping too much, then I’m left exahusted and a bit sad. Thanks for sharing!
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Self-care is so important but often overlooked. I’ve been guilty of this as well. Taking it one day at a time.
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Amazing blog .. Following kindly follow back please
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