My Self Care Tips and Tricks!

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    As I have mentioned in previous entries, I have taken the initiative to working on my physical and mental health through meditation, regular exercise, and a better diet. [If you are unaware of what I am talking about, you should check that one out for a more in-depth of my struggles and story~ “Some Good News On My End!”]. I also want to mention the importance of giving yourself time to reflect on your day and/or setting an intention at the beginning of your day. Working on yourself seems like an easy task, but is more difficult than you think. But Remember! That all that work will be more than worth it and as you begin to make it more of your routine, the easier it will become. 

    For me, some days you are so busy with work, that you feel like you shouldn’t stop because you have to constantly be productive. What we forget though, is that mentality is actually affecting our overall productivity. 

    Ask yourself this, have I been more productive and shown better quality work after I’ve slept the night and gone back to it in the morning? Or have I been presenting the same if not better work as I work on fumes?  Now, I know what you’re probably thinking, “Alexandra, I’ve procrastinated this assignment/responsibility and I have to work on fumes because its due in the morning! I have no time to finish this before work/class?!!" Okay well, yes, sometimes you have to work on fumes to get stuff done. But it doesn’t have to be a nap or a deep sleep that disconnects us from the world, and most importantly your work, in order to be productive. 

    We can, and should, take a moment to either, take a breath or meditate for 3 minutes. Something I learned and actually pass on to my students (oh yeah, I’m a vocal teacher at a privet music school), is the acronym S.T.O.P. What it stands for is, Stop, Take a breath (in for 4–hold for 4–and breath out for 8), Observe how you are feeling emotionally and the different sensations in your body, and finally Proceed. I want you to stop reading for a second and S.T.O.P. Don’t worry, I’ll wait, this article isn’t going anywhere. 

    All Right! Assuming that you did it, ask yourself how did that make me feel? Did you feel a tad bit calmer? Did you feel more connected to yourself and body for even a brief moment? Or maybe you felt no different. Any of these feelings or others that appear, are great! You’re not supposed to feel any one way. The whole point of this is you just took a moment to reflect on yourself and feelings and stepped away, even if so briefly, to then return to your task at hand. 

    Meditating for three minutes could also be an extension of this S.T.O.P. system/habit. I really recommend the “Calm” application #NotSponseredButShouldBe lol. The app has been really helpful for me not only with certain practices and my sleep, but also just keeping me on track. It is so hard to stay on top of these habits, especially when you are overwhelmed, but this is exactly when you need them most! And the free version of the app does have a couple of guided meditations, but also a timer with your choice of nature sounds, which I find really beautiful sometimes just playing as background while I’m doing work. 

    While it is not easy to work and stay consistent with your self care all the time, the rewards are beyond worth it and you’ll be so happy that you didn’t give up. If you found this article or any of my other articles, intriguing or helpful in anyway, don’t hesitate to leave a comment and/or share your story! We are all humans-we all make mistakes-and we all need to show ourselves the same love we show to others. As Jessie J once said, “It’s okay not to be okay,” and sometimes we just need to remind ourselves of that.

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