Hello! Hi!
I hope you have a better day than you were yesterday.
Emotionally treating myself is something I never used to think was necessary. I used to feed into the hustle hard, team no sleep, nobody cares work harder, culture. I used to believe that working all-nighters was the way to go.
I was very wrong.
I’ve learned through trial by fire that it is of the utmost importance that I take care of myself first. If my mental health isn’t at least 80%, I can’t function. I can’t be a version of the woman I want to be in the future.
Bonus (sarcasm): I work at a fast-food restaurant as a manager, so it’s not like I can shower myself in luxury regularly. And I am also trying to save to move out of my parents’ house. ‘Trying’ is the operative word. (If you watch my YouTube channel, you’ll see why I say that).
Here are a few ways I’ve treated myself recently! Most are free, and some are cheap (depending on your tastes).
- Cry. It sounds weird, but a good cry can help you release some frustrations you have. Crying can release pent-up tension in your chest. If you live in a place where you can scream, screaming is a much better option. But if you live in suburbia, crying is a good alternative.
- Exercise. Movement is key to maintaining a healthy life, especially when you don’t feel like peeling your body from your bed. Exercise is an excellent way to distract yourself, even with thoughts of wanting to run back into your bed.
- Picnic. Okay, this is more of a date idea. But putting together a smorgasbord of your favourite finger foods and getting dressed up is a great way to spend time with yourself and feel special (in theory).
- Dance Session. Okay, this one I started doing about two years ago when I would get overwhelmed with school. I give myself 10-15 minutes, put on Queen Bey, and dance like no one is watching. It’s an energy rush because I know all the words to the songs I choose, and I get to lose myself in good music and happy lyrics.
- Read. Reading is a great way to escape your reality. I get immersed in many books, especially fantasy and rom coms. I’ve been avoiding romance books recently, but I recently read Monday’s Not Coming and They Both Die at The End and completely forgot where I was for a good three days. Reading could even be free if you borrow books from the library instead of buying books!
I hope these ideas help, even a little bit. I know it isn’t easy even to choose to take care of yourself. But there’s a little sunshine since you decided to read this post, right?