Self care assignment - Grade: 100 PDF

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Self-care research assignment ...

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Naomi Sterling Professor Jim Om Transitioning to University Life 09/03/2020

Self-Care As someone with major depression, anxiety, and PTSD, I constantly have to make sure I’m taking better care of myself. One of the most important things I learned during my high school career is that emotional strains and stress can make me feel like I have no motivation left in me. I knew that fatigue was already a symptom of depression, but I didn’t realize that me taking time for myself was something that I needed to do often. The first thing I needed to take note of was my emotional signs of overwhelming stress. This meant that me having constant anxiety, sleeping too much, being irritable, feeling overwhelmed, and me making reckless decisions were all the high-risk signs that I was on the brink of what my therapist called “burnout.” Experiencing a “burnout” meant that I was beyond mentally exhausted, felt empty, no longer cared about anything, and had absolutely no more motivation. It usually felt like there was no end to my stress, and I didn’t have any hope of anything good happening in my situation. This is when my therapist emphasized self-care. As unfortunate as it is, mental illness is a part of my life, and I learned to be self-aware and develop coping skills I could use whenever I was in a low place.

The first step is to listen to your body and what it needs. Paying attention to what’s happening in my body and how I’m feeling makes it easier to understand why I’m feeling the way I do. Noticing these clues prevents anxiety attacks or my depression turning into an episode. My self-care routine consists of taking care of my body and my appearance, focusing on my basic needs, trusting my intuition, and making sure I can vent my feelings. I start by writing down all of my worries and stressors in my journal. Doing this helps my brain process my emotions and sort and organize all my thoughts so I don’t feel overwhelmed. After I feel like my head is cleared, I usually do yoga. I light my aromatherapy candles and spend at least 30 minutes doing positions that open up my chakras, then I spend another 30 minutes meditating and focusing on my breathing. This helps me feel grounded, balanced and connected with the earth. The next step is for me to take care of my body and my appearance. I take a shower and spend a large amount of time cleaning my body, washing my hair, and I play music to make sure I really decompress. The warm water helps my muscles not be so tense, and just the feeling of being clean helps me feel better no matter what. I have a very large collection of scented lotions, oils, and perfumes, and taking care of my skin, smelling good, and being moisturized always boosts my self-confidence. Afterward, by the time I’m done, it’s usually late in the evening. Normally I’d put on whatever show I’ve been watching and write a list of things I have to do tomorrow so I feel organized. The last step is to blow out all my candles, turn off my phone, make some tea, and spend the next hour or so reading a book. This is just another way to make sure I have nothing stressful on my mind before I sleep. Developing these acts of self-care was a long process, but in the end, me taking care of myself helps me cope and ensures that I always have a choice on how to handle my symptoms. In the end, I always choose me, and that’s what’s important....