As you all know, I try to keep my blog posts light hearted and fun. After an event like the terrorist attack in Las Vegas, however, I felt the need to get a little serious on here. Like most other people, the shooting that took place in Vegas at the beginning of this week, shook me to my core. I felt disgusted, frustrated, and couldn't find the words to express fully how it affected me. This month, and even year, has been filled with so many traumatic experiences around the world. It can often be very overwhelming to deal with the emotions associated with these events and it's easier to just bottle them up. So, I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to share some of my self care tips with all of you and ask you all to share your tips with me. Always remember to take care of your mental and physical health above all else. Put love into the universe whenever you possibly can. 💞
Talk to your loved ones: something as simple as calling someone you love to tell them how much you appreciate them can have such an impact. Whenever something traumatic happens or I'm feeling very sad I think the most important thing for me is to talk to my friends and family and just feel the love they have for me. It changes my mood instantly and it's also nice to be able to make them feel loved as well. Or even just talking to them as a distraction can really help get your mind of the horrible things going on around the world.
Sleep: sometimes the best thing you can do is sleep it off. Sleep is a way for our body to recover and it is an essential part of our health. I know we're all very busy but if you get the chance to take a nap or go to bed early, take it! I also just downloaded an app called "Sleep Cycle" that wakes you up when you're in your lightest sleep, which makes waking up in the morning easier and you get all of the benefits of sleep without interruption.
Let it out: personally, talking about my emotions has always been challenging for me. Yet, every time I get a chance to just cry it out and talk about how I'm feeling, I always feel so much better. Even if it is hard for you to talk about your feelings, I would really recommend you reach out to someone you trust and talk to a lot and just let it all out. I promise you it will make you feel a lot freer and it will prevent an explosion later on if you try to bottle everything up.
Exercise: ok ok I know running isn't the most appealing thing in the world, but exercising is incredibly good for your mental health. Exercising actually releases dopamine which is a chemical in your brain that controls your happiness. So, whatever your level of comfort with exercise I would recommend you get out and do something physical. You might be surprised by how you feel afterwards.
Treat your self: potentially on the contrary of exercise, one of my favorite ways of taking care of myself is to indulge my wants. I will make myself some tea, have my favorite candy, do some retail therapy, or watch my favorite movie/tv show. I often think people are told to avoid eating sweets or binging tv shows but sometimes it makes you feel so much better -- so, I say "screw it!" and do what you feel is necessary. Whenever I'm stressed you can catch me watching The Proposal with a bag of sour patch kids or at the mall trying things on. Find what you love and treat your self!!!
Start a project: I think keeping yourself occupied can be a good way to deal with stress or sadness. For me, writing and managing the social media for my blog has been a really good way for me to deal with being away from home. I think starting a new and exciting project whether it be as small as gardening or as big as creating your own start-up, having something to look forward to is a huge help. It helps you feel accomplished and you will have a lot of fun doing it.
I really hope that some of these tips help you out and that you are doing well during these hard times. Sending you all lots of love and it would mean so much if you would share your own self care tips with me! See you again soon. Xoxo.
