Page 70 - 2023 eMag Final Draft
P. 70

BUILDING HABITS.  Depending on the answers above, you may be doing an

                                                                                                                                   incredible job at caring for yourself or lacking in a few areas. Often, we do not realise
                                                                                                                                   how much we neglect our mental and physical needs, leading us to feel distressed
                                                                                                                                   and anxious without knowing why. By understanding where you need to improve,

                                                                                                                                   you can start taking care of yourself and slowly build good habits that will lead
                                                                                                                                   you to live a more comfortable life. Here are a few good habits you should have:

                Self-Care                                                                                                           1. Exercise at least 30 minutes a week.

                                                                                                                                    2. Eat healthy and nutritious food.

                CHECKLIST                                                                                                           3. Sleep at least 9 hours a day.
                CHECKLIST
                                                                                                                                    4. Meditate.

                                                                                                                                    5. Stay hydrated.

                Written by Wong Cheng Hui Jr3S(3)                                                                                   6. Express gratitude.
                                                                                                                                    7. Spend time with a loved one.

                                                                                                                                    8. Do something just for fun.
                                                                                                                                    9. Treat yourself and your body.

                The definition of self-care is rather self-explanatory, meaning caring for                                          10. Spend time in nature.

                yourself. It is not spoiling yourself rotten, but it is also not being cruel to
                yourself. Self-care means treating yourself, being kind to yourself, but it also                                   MINDSET.  This  part of self-care can  often  be  neglected, but  when  neglected,
                means setting boundaries and not letting yourself get away with certain things.                                    causes dire consequences and makes everything you do for self-care feel tiresome.

                Self-care means repetitive caring for yourself and also caring about yourself.                                     People  often  forget  that  self-care  doesn’t  always  have to  be  incredibly  difficult.
                                                                                                                                   Don’t treat it like a chore. Treat it as though you are treating someone else. When
                ANALYSIS.  The most important part of bettering and taking care of yourself is                                     it comes to self-care, the little things are what matters. If you attempt to meditate
                understanding yourself, your needs, flaws and strengths. To do that, here is a quick quiz!                         but find it tough, it doesn’t help you, or you don’t like it, that’s fine. It’s good to
                                                                                                                                   try it, but don’t force it if it doesn’t work. Everyone is different and has different

                 1. Do you eat regularly? (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)                                                               needs. Finding meditation unhelpful, even after  trying multiple times, is fine.
                 2. How many hours of sleep do you get?

                 3. Do you set firm boundaries and say no when you                                                                 What really matters is how you treat yourself outside of that. If you exercise
                      feel uncomfortable?                                                                                          consistently, eat healthy food, meditate, journal, etc. but still feel that nothing is

                 4. Do you consistently positively affirm yourself?                                                                working, the issue lies in your mindset. Self-care isn’t a quest you have to complete
                                                                                                                                   to obtain rewards; self-care is loving and caring for yourself. It’s making a cup of
                 5. Do you ask for help when you need it?                                                                          warm coffee/tea for yourself; it’s buying yourself that one thing you really want. And

                 6. How clean is your workspace? Does it feel                                                                      it’s also knowing how to budget and discipline yourself, sticking to deadlines and
                      comfortable to you?                                                                                          promises. It’s the little things that matter: if you hate someone, would you tell them

                 7. Do you feel as though your mind is cluttered?                                                                  you love their hair today? If you do not care for someone, would you tell them to
                      Do you meditate/journal to help clear your mind?                                                             stop lazing around and force them to worry about that deadline for that one project

                                                                                                                                   because you know they’d regret it if they didn’t do it?




        70                                                                                                                                                                                                                            71
   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75