From a young age, children are told the importance of self-care.
Too often, however, they receive mixed messages about what self-care means and how to handle their complex emotions.
It often seems men get the worst of these complex messages. They are told to “suck it up” and bury any emotions that could be seen as weak.
That means not crying or confiding in others about uncertainty and fear. This can have compounding negative effects for the rest of their lives.
Women certainly do not escape unharmed either. In fact, they are expected to meet the opposite extreme, where they are fragile balls of emotional energy.
Stereotypically, they are expected to not be in control of their emotions, which leads to a lack of understanding on how to properly cope with what is felt.
All this stems from a systemic lack of education on how to properly cope with emotions.
Self-care can do a lot to assuage emotions like sadness, melancholy, longing, etc.
One of the best tools for this is a mental health day.
When experiencing these pervasive emotions, set aside an entire day where you indulge yourself.
This could mean watching your favorite movies and ordering takeout or getting dressed up and taking yourself out for a nice date.
What constitutes a mental health day changes from person to person.
On that day, it is best to seclude yourself from the world. Stray from social media or texting, just focus entirely on yourself.
Mental health days should be taken in moderation. It can be easy to let yourself fall into the habit of using your feelings as an excuse to be lazy.
One reason why this is so difficult for others is because it can feel selfish.
In America, especially, we have a culture that glorifies going to the extremes for work.
You worked 45 hours last week? I worked 60 and I am going to work that again this week. This also applies to schooling, where it’s expected we take our work home with us.
With constant repetition, this can start to feel claustrophobic.
So, taking a day for yourself is so important. It acts as a reset button and can make you happier and more productive.
Another way to improve your mental health is through physical fitness.
Physical fitness can improve your life in many ways, from creating a roadblock to sickness to increasing your confidence about your body.
It is most important to find a workout you truly enjoy. For many people this means non-traditional workouts.
Traditional workouts consist of activities like running, lifting or a sport like basketball. Non-traditional workouts would be something like rock climbing, swimming or even parkour — exercise less common and mundane. If you can find a physical activity you love to do for more than just becoming fit, that will make increasing your activeness that much easier.
These are just a few ways to take care of not only your physical health but your mental health as well.
It is important not to burn out on school or work. Overly sacrificing oneself is not something to be proud of.
America, and the rest of the world, must do a better job educating our youth on the importance of self-care and how to best go about loving oneself.
For now, always be mindful and never ashamed of what you feel. No one can tell you what is right to feel.
Reach out to others for help and don’t be afraid to take a mental health day every once in a while.
Griffen Winget can be reached at [email protected]