I'm a huge fan of #selfcaresunday. Self-care is something that I try to prioritize in my life, even though this can be hard when things get busy. But I've found that even taking an hour each day to do something just for me, because it calms me or makes me happy, does wonders for my mental health. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and as much as I've tried to prioritize self-care, especially on Sundays, I don't think I've been doing it enough. It's so easy to put it on the back burner, because even though I always tell others that self-care isn't selfish, it's sometimes hard when you are a student and have a million things on your plate. That's why, this year, I've decided to take Sundays off, and completely dedicate them to self-care. Obviously, this may not be realistic for every Sunday. If I am scheduled to work, or I have a rehearsal, I might need to take a couple of hours away from my self-care day to do what I need to do, but the point is, having a day that I dedicate completely to myself and what makes me happy is something that seems pretty radical to me. But, since self-care has helped me so much in my recovery already, I am really excited to see where my Sundays off take me this year in terms of self-growth.
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I know it's not always possible for everyone to take a whole day off per week. I'm really lucky, in that since all my jobs are super mental-health conscious, I am able to advocate for myself openly in ways some others can't with their employers, and I am very grateful for this. As a student, I don't have class on Sundays, nor will I ever have an exam on Sunday. So, it seems like the perfect opportunity to try this out. If you aren't able to take a full day off, I encourage you to try to take even half a day off each week, or a couple of hours per day to do something that makes you feel good. Self-care doesn't always come second-nature, and I found that when I first started learning what works for me, I had to "schedule" my self-care time. I am someone who thrives off of a schedule. I need to plan out my day and know what it's going to look like in order to feel calm, and like I can face the day ahead of me. So, in a way, telling myself that from 2:00pm - 4:00pm I was going to take some self-care time helped me to realize that it's not selfish. It's healthcare, and just another important part of my day.
I hope that, no matter where life takes you in 2017, you are able to make some more room for self-care in your life. Know that I'm right there with you, and if you see me sleeping late on a Sunday, going for a long walk, running at the gym, or snapchatting you from my bed at 4:00pm watching Netflix, just know that that's me taking care of me. Because it isn't selfish.
