Hey everyone,
I thought I could share how I like to optimise my self care to ensure how I see things in a positive way and learn from experiences:
1. Perspective
When things make an unfortunate turn in my life and leave me disappointed, I think about how I can consider multiple perspectives. How this relates to self care is by considering positives and the negatives of a situation in aiming to find a perspective that unlocks certain benefits and learnings. For example, if one is feeling sad about something, I believe it's best to focus on what is making one happy or feel good, like supportive friends/family and happy memories.
Having something to look forward to is a great way to counteract negative thoughts and experiences in life. By planning exciting events ahead, it helps us look in a progressive way and utilise optimism.
2. Relax
To have a break or a relax once in a while helps us recharge and temporarily disengage from our major events and commitments. This certainly helps me consider if I am looking after my health well enough. If I feel that I am not prioritising my health, I know that becomes the time when taking breaks is very important, whether it be frequent short breaks or occasional long breaks..
3. Exercise/Activities
Personally, a little bit of exercises and/or fun activities improves my mental and emotional health a lot. There are many published scientific studies that suggest that engaging in physical health exercises is correlated with increased academic performance.
For those who are studying in school or university, it may seem contradictory that spending time other than studying will make our grades go down because we are supposedly losing study time when we exercise. I thought the exact same when I found this out, but I try exercising more and my grades were much better.
Engaging in exercise and fun activities may not work for everyone with their mental and emotional health or academic performance, but it has certainly helped me. Number 3 is my absolute go-to for self care.
I hope my 3 personal options for self care can apply to you. Let me know how you take care of yourself with your strategies.
