Self Care: Favorite Activities
One of the biggest changes I’ve experienced in my life is my attitude towards self-care. When I was a sophomore in high school, I experienced severe burnout that manifested into mental illness that I’ll manage for the rest of my life. Luckily, I now understand the importance of self-care! If you’re struggling with self-care, here’s a few of my favorite activities that are worth a try.
Calendar Journal - My absolute favorite self-care strategy is to draw a calendar in my journal every month where I keep track of how every day goes. I use colors to shade in each day, and each color represents whether the day was good, bad, or in the middle. I then number the lines below the calendar so that there’s space to include a few words about why that day was good or bad. If you struggle with resiliency, I highly recommend this strategy.
Knitting - This is another one of my favorites. Like many others, I taught myself how to knit during lockdown, but it’s a hobby that has stuck with me and is super fun and relaxing. If you’re looking to get started, order some yarn and a pair of size 7 or 8 needles, and check out some youtube videos! It seems intimidating, but teaching yourself is a fun challenge that can keep your mind and your fingers busy (which is especially helpful if you’re a fidgeted like me). BU even has its own knitting club! If you’re interested, you can join the mailing list and then someone will send you the link. It meets Thursday nights at 7pm and is a super relaxing space for beginners and pros alike!
Netflix - I feel like it’s hard to talk about self-care without mentioning everyone’s favorite binge watching habits. It might seem basic, but curling up with my favorite show and my favorite snack never gets old.
Hopefully these examples can give you some ideas of how to embrace self care as part of your daily routine. Always remember how important self care is: you can’t help others unless you help yourself. Make sure you take care of yourself so that you can accomplish all of the amazing things that you are capable of!