Is It Really Just Face Masks and Manicures
Getting back into a routine, starting school again, having a busy morning, and attending our extracurriculars can be stressful. Let's face it, we all have extremely busy lives, and it can be difficult to relax. Society makes us believe that success will lead to achievement and achievement will result in happiness. However, research has proven that anxiety, depression, and stress can be partially caused by this pressure to achieve. Pressuring ourselves in this way blocks our bodies’ relaxation mechanisms. On the other hand, constantly reminding ourselves that we must relax, and that we must not let ourselves become too stressed, is also not going to help. By continually saying this, you are affecting your ability to relax, and you may not even realize it!
Self-care has become trendy, but do people truly know what it is? Self-care goes far beyond face masks and painting your nails. It shouldn't be something we post on our stories because it looks super cute and something is something we do on a rare occasion. It's something that everyone should do, every single day. Amil Niazi discusses her opinion on the stigma that has grown around self-care: “The act of self-care has become yet another thing women are expected to be good at. Did you use the right filter for that ‘gram of your impeccably prepared açai bowl? These are things I wrestle with as I order Dominos in sweatpants under the guise of ‘being good to myself’”(Niazi). True self-care is not going to get a facial. It is removing the negative from your life, releasing emotions, making goals, and learning to love yourself. Self-care should be something to make you enjoy life, not make you want to escape it.
It is extremely important to practice self-care, and there are many times in the day during which we can do so. Maybe it's when we first wake up, when we get home from school, before bed, or on the weekend. Self-care improves both our mental and physical well-being and that keeps us happy and committed to enjoying life.
There are six main types of self-care: emotional, practical, mental, spiritual, physical, and social. You may be more familiar with some of these than others. For example, you probably know that physical self-care is mostly focused on healthy eating, having a good sleep schedule, and regularly exercising. By getting your blood pumping you can release hormones like endorphins and serotonin. As a result, exercise has many benefits including relieving stress, reducing the probability of becoming depressed and calming anxiety. In fact, “a study done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression by 26%”.
Emotional self-care refers to smaller things like being less hard on yourself, allowing yourself to be sad sometimes, and making sure you are still laughing and having fun on a day-to-day basis. We also cannot forget that friendships play a huge part in our mental wellbeing. Spending time with friends always makes us feel better! This time spent with friends can also take your mind off issues that may be bothering you and causing you to worry. Spending time with friends is a part of social self-care, as is calling family members, and making sure you have healthy relationships.
Spiritual self-care does not necessarily refer to religion. It is more related to finding yourself and having “me-time”. Activities to help practice spiritual self-care include spending
time in nature, volunteering, donating, writing and breathing. Whether it is through deep breaths or meditation, breathing can make you feel much more relaxed by lowering the heartbeat. Breathing can also make one feel more energized by letting the blood flow. If you are looking for some good meditation apps, Smiling Mind, Headspace, and Calm are a few great ones! Furthermore, something that is underestimated is the positive effect writing can have. Writing can be very helpful and make you feel more organized. It may even just be writing a to-do list. However, it can also be jotting down your worries, goals, dreams, and even what you are grateful for.
Practical self-care is doing things that will help reduce stress levels. This may be budgeting, organizing, or cleaning. Lastly, mental self-care is just generally doing something you love. This may be baking something delicious, spending time with your pet, taking a yoga class, reading a book, painting, or taking time to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea. And, yes, pampering yourself by doing face masks, painting your nails, and taking Instagramable baths with rose petals or bath bombs is also classified as self-care. However, it doesn’t always have as positive an impact as the other activities listed above.
To conclude, self-care is a necessity that needs to be part of your daily routine, even if it's only five minutes a day. The reality is that self-care isn't always pretty, but it is vital to include in teenagers and adults daily routines to ensure we all have a happy and healthy life.