I guess I have been putting off writing on here since my first post. I think part of this, like many things, is to do with the obsession with perfection. The fear of getting something wrong renders it easier to do nothing at all. If you never do anything, you can never do anything wrong, right?
So I feel uncertain about how exactly to use this platform. Of course everyone wants beautifully published, coherent articles, but surely the beauty of a blog is in its rawness. For me, this blog is about testing myself to write, and write frequently, to put my experiences out there in the hope that they may resonate. I have decided to use this platform as a sort of brain dump.
So I bring to you, my wonderfully muddled thoughts on music, travel, food, podcasts, student living, anything and everything that makes up my interests. Unapologetically imperfect, this blog is a big step in overcoming the fear of imperfection, the fear of falling short, the fear of judgement. I want to share, and discover what others are sharing. So here it goes! (Hopefully)
“This is really going to be my year you know, 2018 is going to be the year of self love” I say to my friends, as our January exams draw to a close and the promise of a new year and a new semester is in sight.
Lets just say that didn’t quite go to plan.
Nine months into 2018, I found myself straight back into the habits of late-night working and a diet consisting mainly of sugar and caffeine. Finding myself as tired and as anxious as ever, the “self love” just wasn’t quite happening.
Living a life rammed full of university, part-time jobs, family, friends, relationships, fitness, socialising, commitments, cooking, career planning… time can begin to feel like a bit of a balancing act for a 20 year old.
Add a healthy dollop of Generalised Anxiety Disorder and an overwhelming sense of responsibility to ‘DO something’ and ‘KNOW what it is you are going to do’ now you are in your twenties, finding time to look after yourself can seem like the least of your worries.
Running on coffee isn’t the answer, no matter how pretty it looks…
A few months back, I realised that in all the flurry of late-night coffee-induced deadline-panicked work sessions, I had forgotten to “look after myself”, the very basics of self-care. So after a visit home from uni, and some reading up on the subject, I made a short list of things to do just to keep myself healthy, to get back in touch with reality a bit. I keep it in the notes on my phone.
Of course this list is subjective. What may work for one person may not work for another. But I wanted to share this, in the hope that perhaps some of these little things I have to remind myself of sometimes can remind someone else to take a moment, or a few, to take care of yourself, remember what you need, and take small steps towards reaching that.
So here it is, my 15 point guide to self care:
Tell people what helps.
Work out what makes you feel good, and what makes you feel bad.
Then, change / prepare for difficult situations.
Be kind to yourself.
Spend time with family and friends.
Relax – listen to some music / take a walk or a bath / cook something.
Get enough sleep.
Eat well and exercise.
Personal care – shower, get dressed, feel good in your appearance.
Happy Burrito Baby 