In today’s fast-paced society, prioritizing self-care is more crucial than ever. Self-care involves intentionally taking time to nurture both mental and physical well-being. “My #1 self-care habit is taking a cold shower every morning,” said Junior Dylan Nelson. Self-care comes down to 2 simple questions. What’s the #1 thing that ensures that you have a great day? Perhaps even more importantly: What’s that action that if you don’t do, you run a very high risk of having a bad day? Is it getting a good night of sleep? Is it taking a hot bath? Is it reading before going to bed?
Developing hobbies! Developing hobbies isn’t just about finding ways to fill your time, it’s about finding meaning to fill your life. Hobbies are how we de-stress and genuinely flourish in life. So find a hobby. Whether it’s gardening, creative writing, painting or knitting, a hobby will soothe your mind and allow you to flourish in life.
We do things to take care of ourselves every day. We brush our teeth, wash our hands and listen to music. All of these represent the self-care we have for ourselves. Self-care is the practice of showing yourself the respect that allows you to arrive at self-love. It’s about spending time on yourself, with yourself. So take a walk, journal, meditate and take care of your mental health. Then, exercise, go for a run, do hot yoga and challenge yourself physically. Because when we care about ourselves, we respect both our mind and body. The endpoint that self-care can physically and mentally bring us to is eventually self-love.
Stoic Philosopher Seneca once said that “we treat the body rigorously so that it is not disobedient to the mind.” Part of self-care is not sheltering yourself from hardship and struggle, but throwing yourself head first into discomfort. Because those who care about themselves understand that comfort is the enemy of progress. “Growth and comfort cannot coexist” said Junior Hayes Hurd. So take care of yourself and get comfortable with being uncomfortable.