Throughout my recovery, self-care has been one of the most vital lessons I have learned. Practicing self-care makes me a better person – a better friend, employee, a better sister, and a daughter.
I cannot be loving to anyone else if I first don’t know how to love to myself.
Now, I can talk about self-care all I want but it can be difficult to make self-care a priority practically when there are exams to study for and papers to write…not to mention, balancing relationships and all the joys and struggles associated with that.
Throughout my recovery, I have learned how to make self-care an absolute priority; sometimes I have had to be absolutely vigilant and set healthy boundaries with others. That is not easy to do, but as a therapist once told me: “Build your life around recovery, not the other way around.”
Here are a few ideas to practice self-care during the school year. Of course, these are based on my own experience. Therefore, the key is to practice self-care in a way that is personal and special to you.
(Photo: iStockphoto/ Thinkstock)
Get Moving
In high school, I absolutely hated running. I played sports that required a lot of running but I hated running just for the sake of it. However, something shifted in college. Running became my biggest outlet to relieve stress and anxiety. I would exercise after classes and this is the activity that centered me like nothing else. I tend to get lost in my head a lot and am thinking about a million things simultaneously.
As soon as my feet would hit the pavement or the treadmill, every anxiety ceased. It was like running was (is!) this metaphorical experience, where my ability to move, to run, enabled my worries and anxiety to run away. Exercise is something I know I need to practice self-care, more so for my mental health rather than my physical health.
The most important part of exercise is to ask yourself: What do you enjoy? What gives you pleasure? Maybe it’s yoga or Pilates. A lot of yoga centers have group rates so it can be a fun, cheap way to get those endorphins pumping and have fun with friends.
Depending on where you live, maybe it’s skiing or snowboarding in the cooler climates, or maybe it’s surfing or swimming in the warmer climates. Or maybe it’s joining a team sports intramural team at your university. Whatever it is, remember exercise ought to be about self-care; that is its most important purpose.
Note: We encourage you to check with your medical team before starting any physical activity if you are struggling/recovering from an eating disorder.
If you check out this dentist in Greenbelt, they’ll also advise you to have regular health checkups with your doctors to ensure that you’re always on top of your physical health.
Get Creative
There is something therapeutic about any activity that involves moving your hands. When I got out of inpatient treatment, I started painting. In the past few years, cooking has also become a new hobby. Cooking is especially healing and restorative for me, because my relationship with food was once so disordered. Cooking gives me complete ownership in what I am eating. I follow recipes consisting of foods I enjoy and it also gives me the capacity to share food with others.
There is something beautiful about sharing a meal with others because you aren’t just sharing food but fostering community. If you and a friend or a few friends plan an evening of cooking together and split up the food costs, this can save money and creating a meal together can be a new way to foster connection.
To continue reading the rest of the list from our partner, Proud2BMe, you can click here.
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