Like many women, I’ve struggled with self-care and self-love. I personally have tried so many things- different hobbies, different friend circles, different workout methods, yoga and so much more. I can honestly say that I still struggle with this but after years of struggling, here is a list of things I’ve tried. My goal is to help you find the self-love that you need.
- Hobbies
-
I’ve tried many different hobbies, some worked, some I’ve kept up with, and others I started and it lasted a solid eight hours…
Embroidery– this is one of the few hobbies I still keep up with. Embroidery is so simple and easy to do! I bought kits on Etsy from small businesses and went to town as well as drew my own patterns to do! TOTALLY find me on the socials so I can show you where I found some cute stuff!
Gaming-Last year during our awkward orange phase at UNH, my boyfriend and I bought a super cute switch together so I would be able to play cozy games and de-stress. This helped… But it also made me lazy.
Painting- this was an okay choice, if anything I was more excited to choose colors than actually paint.
Longboarding this one was COOL, I love longboarding and over the summer I used to go to Hampton Beach and board with friends. 10/10 recommend if you’re not afraid to fall off. Side note: I took a HUGE digger at Hampton and almost took out a kid. He’s fine, but my right side wasn’t!
Walking This lasted about a single day. I went for a nice relaxing walk and got bored. Going for walks is not for me, but if it relaxes you by all means do it!
- Exercise
-
I was NEVER the kind of girl who exercised for fun. However, last fall (fall 2020) my sorority Alpha Xi Delta had an event at Local Barre (Now Local B Studio) in Durham and it sort of awakened my inner exercise rat. Barre classes are the only exercise class that I’ve tried and actually stuck with. Something about being in a room full of other women and having someone help exercise each part of my body really motivated me. I go to about four classes a week and am starting to see results! Their first class is always free and I 100% think you should try it if you’re even the slightest bit interested!
Another exercise I’ve tried is just simply yoga. Yoga balances the mind and soul which is important for self-care. (Local B also offers a yoga class… hint hint) The nice thing about yoga is that you do what feels good for you, some nights I’m more flexible and can sink deeper, and other nights I’m too tense. It’s tailored to you.
- Environment
-
The environment you create and surround yourself in plays a huge role in self-care. For example, I live in Alpha Xi Delta on campus and made my bed a comfy and cozy spot. I tend to do homework in my bed and consider it a safe space for myself. Personally, I think everyone should have a safe and cozy space to unwind and relax. When I lived at home and commuted, my room at home was my safe space, and I actually would study in Cole and Barton hall. I love quiet and warm areas when I’m trying to study and found that those two buildings were perfect!
- friend circles/ Social Battery
-
A super important thing I learned is how far I can push my social battery. I’m an introverted extrovert which means I love being social- but I can only handle so much. A huge factor in my self-care is knowing when I need to take a step back from a social situation and take care of myself. If you find yourself starting to quiet down and aren’t as engaged as you’d like to be, perhaps it’s a sign to step back for a bit and recharge. I’ve realized that my social battery drains a lot faster than a lot of my friends, and although I’d still like to be social, it’s super important that I recharge.
Throughout high school and college, I’ve sifted through a ton of friend groups. The people you surround yourself with impact the person you are and how you are perceived. Take the time to truly think about your friends and look at the relationship you have with them and the person you are when you’re around them. I personally didn’t like who I was around certain people, and quickly realized it was draining.