Written By: Pascale Gibbs, Spotlight Editor in Training
SELF-CARE. Taking care of yourself is more important than anything else.
Second semester, especially for upperclassmen, becomes extremely stressful. When things get stressful, students tend to focus on schoolwork, rather than themselves. Although education is important, YOU are more valuable. You deserve to still feel good, even when cramming all your homework. Self-care, self-love, and the promotion of it is far more important than any essay or AP test; help your soul and take care of yourself.
A lot of essential self-care is placed in the night time. Before going to bed, wash your face. Put some lotion on. Take a quick shower. Make a cup of herbal tea. Keep a clean room. Read a book. Light a candle. Put your phone down and put your favorite podcast or song on before falling asleep. All of these things that take less than ten minutes refresh and rejuvenate. You will go to sleep happier, even if just by a little bit. Another way to get rid of stress is to journal every night. This could mean writing to a prompt, ranting about your day, or making a list of things you’re grateful for. Don’t neglect the importance of doing these small acts before bed, they can make all the difference in sleep and waking up.
Not only is nightly care important, but self-care in the morning is even more important. Your morning will determine your entire day. When you wake up, the best way to guarantee a good day is to stay off your phone. Kids tend to open Instagram or TikTok the moment they wake. According to several studies, this is the most harmful thing you can do for yourself. For example, a study at the University of British Columbia had 124 people check their email more often. On days that they didn’t check their emails as much, their stress levels were recorded as lower and their feelings were more positive. Seeing a negative video or post that makes you feel insecure and subconsciously ruins your self-esteem and the rest of your day. Save yourself the insecurity and don’t let social media take over your brain and body. In addition to putting down your phone in the morning, promoting a good day can be done in many ways. If you’re a morning shower person, take a shower! If not, wash your face, pick out an outfit you like, and eat a good breakfast. If you want to be a little extra and guarantee yourself and even better day, drink some coffee or tea, meditate, do some yoga, or some simple stretching to get your blood flowing. Do daily affirmations in the mirror. These include saying, I am loved, I am beautiful, I am confident, and I am worthy. These things promote happiness and peace of mind, relieving you of stress, whether or not you can see it.
Your mind is a beautiful, sparkling oasis of intelligence and confidence. Let this intelligence and confidence shine through by not letting anyone or anything, especially school work, rain on your parade. Take care of yourself; you are important, loved, and deserving, no matter how confusing life gets.