Self Care
Week 13 (June 24-30)
"Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health" (Michael MA, Raphailia, What Self-Care Is --And What It Isn't).
As you already know and have experienced firsthand, the world right now is a tense place. In order to move throughout and change the world confidently, we need to make sure that our mind, body, and spirit are healthy. For people from marginalized communities, whose mere existence is often seen as a threat, self-care is revolutionary. This week, your prompt will be to practice self-care (whatever that may look like to you). Please answer the questions: what kind of self-care did you practice this week? Describe your self-care practice so that the readers may be able to try it themselves. What do you like about your self-care practice and why is it important? What is your relationship to self-care overall? Do you often practice self-care? Why or why not? We encourage you to send a picture or video of yourself practicing self-care as well, though you are not required to do so.
man i just be chilling on my lonesome
tryna find my own peace of mind
put on my headphones and just vibe out
shuffle my latest spotify playlist
this one called “the wrong generation”
cuz sometimes i feel like i’m from the wrong generation
El auto cuidado personal, en estos momentos, es una de las cosas más importantes. Ya que estamos viviendo unos momentos críticos en los cuales podemos olvidar cuidarnos a nosotros mismos, pensando en la situación que estamos viviendo.
Now this might be a bold statement to make, but I would argue that everyone in some part in their life has practiced self-care. While at first glance, I did not know how to define the term, I saw that I often take time for myself to work on aspects of my personal life. It is important to take time out of the day to turn away from all the responsibilities that we must bear and allow ourselves a moment to have some downtime. I usually practice self-care after completing the bulk of my assignments or finishing some tasks from work. I typically de-stress by turning on my Xbox One console. I am usually playing something like Batman Arkham City, which is one of my favourite games due. I love all things related to DC Comics and especially when they relate to the world’s greatest detective.
The self-care that I practiced this week was going outside and getting some fresh air. My way of self-care during this pandemic is going outside and admiring the beauty around me. I love to feel the wind brushing against my skin, and looking at the clouds. I just take that time to really think about life and the finer things within it.
The self-care methods I use are different than everyone else’s. To keep myself in the right state of mind, I do what makes me happy. For example, I like to put on face masks and dance on Tik-Tok. I like to do face masks because it gives a cooling effect and it’s relaxing. Dancing is also a part of my self-care methods because dancing is something that I can focus on. It takes my mind off of everything because it’s very time consuming. My self-care practices take place at different times of the day. I tend to do my face masks at night because it also helps clear my face of sweat and all the oils. I normally dance during the day because, since we are in quarantine, there’s nothing better to do. These things are important to me because they help me get moving during the day and it keeps me positive. I believe that self-care is important because it keeps me positive. If I don’t do it, I’d probably be very negative. I practice my self-care about once or twice a week because it’s time consuming.
This week, my self-care practice was working out with my family and playing basketball. I also wrote out my feelings when I became too stressed out. It helps me vent and calm down. My workouts include 20 push ups, 30 sit ups, running in place, full sprint for 10 seconds, and, after two 30-second planks, getting water. I like that my self-care helps not only my mind, but also my body. It’s important because it's productive and keeps my mind clear. I love doing self-care treatments because it helps you find things about yourself that you wouldn’t know if you hadn't done the treatment.
POV: Your Rich Aunt is Here
by Ayah
Why, hello there, Cinnamon Roll. It’s me, your rich aunt.
Apparently you are feeling sad and you are not tending to yourself. Apparently, you forgot that you are a houseplant with more complicated feelings. Apparently people telling you to just stop worrying doesn’t actually fix your problems.
*As you read this piece, please listen to the late and great artist Mac Miller. He has a song named “Self Care,” just like the name of this piece. To me, his song and this piece could go hand-in-hand*
Self-care means a lot to me. It is how we, as humans, maintain a balance of mental health, spiritual health, and physical health.
The self-care I practiced this week was doing my own hair. There isn’t really much I can do to my hair because it is short, but I put braids in it because I was tired of looking like the first phase of quarantine. With my natural hair, it's usually just a wet, moose and go process. Never really took much time to do. I barely do anything for myself because there is always a problem when I want to treat and make myself feel good. Self-care is important because it'll build your personal self esteem. I never really practice it because I'm always worried about other things that only bring me down.
Dear World,
Today, I wanted to share my favorite method that I use to practice self-care. This simple and easy way is journaling. During this time, I would sit in a quiet area around the house and reflect on the day or whatever was on my heart. To me, this method is very relaxing. It helps me clear my mind. I’ve actually been journaling all year long because this method is very simple and easy, yet mesmerizing. I believe that self reflection is a great way to learn more about oneself, therefore, I try to practice it often. For me self-care is essential.