What’s self-care? A wide range of behaviors and practices which can support emotional well-being and our overall health and also are used to manage stress. If you’re in your teens or twenties, you don’t need me to define what stress is: you probably know what it is better than anybody. Self-care means ways, often simple ways, we can or do take care of ourselves, for ourselves (though the people around you and your relationships certainly benefit) both as a general part of living life every day, but also, and often particularly, when we’re stressed, depressed, experiencing anxiety or going through something rough or otherwise challenging.
What things are or are not self-care for you is going to depend a whole lot on you: on who you are as a person, what your interests are, what’s available to you for self-care, and what you need based on how you’re feeling, what’s going on in your life, and what you tend to find, over time and through trial and error, works best for you. One person’s self-care can be another person’s stressor, so there are no rules here. Instead, there are just a wide range of options you can pick from, a la carte, combine and refine to develop your own self-care toolbox.
It’s been quite a week for many of us. If you need some ideas on how to take care of yourself this weekend (or in the future), we’ve got you covered <3