Last week started out as not the best week in the record books. I didn’t get enough sleep Sunday night, so I woke up crabby, didn’t have time for breakfast, was crabby at my first shift of work, couldn’t focus in my first class, was late to my second shift at work, didn’t have time for lunch, so I overate at dinner, and when I finally got home I collapsed into bed, too sluggish and exhausted to do much of anything.
So I was scrolling through Instagram and stumbled upon a post by The Wellness Rookie, a wellness blogger, reminding me to buy myself flowers. Her blog post talked about the importance of self-care: doing the little things - like making your bed or taking a walk - that make you feel happy, balanced, and healthy. I resolved then to turn off my lights and my phone, get a good night’s sleep and wake up on Tuesday to take care of myself.
On Tuesday, I woke up in time to make myself breakfast, and when I got home that night, I changed into some old, and, admittedly, slightly grungy workout clothes, laced up my Nikes, and turned on a workout video.
After not having done an actual workout in a couple months, I was struggling by the end, but I made it through the whole cycle and ended feeling victorious, and much better than I had in several weeks.
On Wednesday, the sun came back to Missoula. To celebrate one of the final waves of summer, in between my classes I sat out on the patio of the Honors College and took a nap in the sunshine.
On Thursday, I took myself to the coffee shop across from campus to have dinner. I got their weekly special - chicken, bacon, cheddar, apples, and honey mustard on toasted sourdough - and savored every bite.
On Friday, I went to lunch with an old friend who I hadn’t seen in quite a while. We enjoyed each other’s company and spent a lot of time laughing.
Point being, this weekend, even staring in the face of midterms and papers and test galore, I felt mentally and physically better than I had since school started.
In the midst of life - work, class, homework, innumerable other responsibilities - it’s easy to forget that you have an obligation to yourself too. The world demands a lot of your time and labels you as selfish if you indulge yourself, even if it’s something as simple as taking half an hour in the middle of your day to enjoy the sunshine.
However, if you’re constantly feeling bogged down - mentally, physically, emotionally, or all three - it’s impossible to accomplish your other tasks to the best of your ability.
So, this week remember that you are important, and take the time to love yourself. Whether it's getting up five minutes earlier to make your bed, calling up an old friend, taking yourself to lunch, or just taking the time to sit outside and enjoy the fall colors, do something this week that makes you feel happy.