Time for Some Self-Care

 

Have you ever felt so down in the dumps for days on end that by day 4 you realise you still haven’t showered and any sign of fresh air has left your lungs long ago? It’s the absolute worst, especially when you just can’t find a sliver of motivation to get out of bed and simply just change out of your pyjamas. Although it might feel like the last thing you want to do, self-care is something I consider extremely important in order to keep your mental health in check. I mean, its literally been clinically proven to reduce stress, anxiety and depression and it increases happiness. I’m not saying that if you go and wash your face right now your mental health will entirely heal, but it’s a great start. There are so many ways in which you can get a kickstart on self-caring yourself back to contentment. The first thing is simple, food. Eat something! Especially if that something is healthy ;) (hint hint). Seriously though, eating something healthy is giving your body fuel that it really needs. I know it’s said everywhere, but after eating healthy and drinking enough water you can actually notice how different and great your body feels. 

Prioritise your sleep (but not too much!), getting enough sleep is crucial. Your body needs to rest, your mind needs to rest and if you’re not giving yourself that time to rewind you’ll start to feel it after a few days. However, try your best not to continuously sleep in. It’s ok if you let yourself have a late morning every now and then, we’re all guilty of it, but becoming so used to routinely waking up in the afternoon can cause you to feel like the days are shorter and your productivity can decline.

 Plan out your days. It doesn’t have to be a big plan just something simple. For example, tomorrow I plan on wearing this outfit, I’ll have this for breakfast, I’ll watch this show for half an hour, I’ll go for a walk down the road, etc. Giving yourself a massive goal like ‘tomorrow I’ll feel better and I’ll get out of this slump’ isn’t always effective. You could feel pressure to achieve such thing and if you don’t reach that goal the disappointment just sends you right back to the bottom. Small, simple goals done day by day that are easy to achieve can start to build up your confidence and productivity and soon enough you’ll find that you actually did get out of the slump, you just did it in your own time. Write out your feelings. Putting them on paper is like a way of releasing them in my mind. If you don't feel like talking, write! Write down every single thought you have in that specific moment. It can give you a sense of control. You're feeling those emotions, you're acknowledging them and you're releasing them on to a page. Journaling is a great stress reducer. I say it all the time but GO. OUTSIDE. Get fresh air back into your lungs, get your body moving again. Physical activity really helps your brain manage and cope with stress. Simple changes lead to great improvements. 

🤍Mental Health Ireland

🤍HSE

🤍Pieta