In my last two “Self-Love Saturday” articles, I have mentioned how much I strive to love myself. As finals approach, I haven’t taken as much time for myself as I need. As I said in my last articles, “self-love and self-care are very important to me, and I try to apply them to my life daily. With classes and homework, however, this is sometimes difficult. This is how I came up with the idea of “self-love Saturday,” where I give myself all Saturday, every week, to do something that I love.” This time is a little different, as my day of self-care was on a Wednesday, but the idea is the same.
This past Wednesday, two of my friends and I decided to have a beach day. I had just taken a final for my physiological psych class and I NEEDED to be in the sun. It was 85 degrees outside so we packed up the car and drove to Nahant. The 40-minute drive felt endless as all I wanted to be near the ocean.
The beach has always been a calming place for me. I go to Cape Cod every August for two weeks, and I’ve been doing this since I was born. The sound of the waves and the warm sand makes me so happy, and I always feel at home near the beach. I knew that a beach day would be the perfect way for me to relax before studying for finals.
We laid in the sun for hours listening to music and then decided to go in the water. We went to the edge of the sand and the ocean was freezing but SO refreshing. My legs were numb when we got out, but after some more time in the sun, I was warm again.
At around 5:30 we decided to find somewhere to eat dinner. We got in the car and did a quick loop of Nahant, an island that screams quintessential New England. We settled on Mission On The Bay, a seafood restaurant with an outdoor seating area. We ate amazing food and watched a beautiful sunset which was the perfect way to end the day. We drove the whole way home with the windows open and I fell asleep early, much more relaxed than I had been that morning.
Whenever school gets stressful, I try to remember that it is still important to take time for yourself and the things you love to do. I know that it seems like finals need to take up all your time, but if you take even an hour for yourself, you will be more relaxed when you go back to studying.
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