self care zine

curated by rachelle abellar

[selfcarezine]

5 Tips for Self-Care in a Culture That Glorifies Stress

We often view being busy and worn out as a sign of being “productive” – so how can you prioritize taking care of yourself? These practical tips can help.

[autostraddle]

50 Ways to Deal with the Aftereffects of Trauma | Autostraddle

"The day begins when you say it does: I'm not talking about work. I'm talking about the soul."

[yourthoughtsspace-deactivated20]

Take Care // Submitted by: Anonymous

[zombies-with-radios]

•Self - Care is Important•

It is important to incorporate self-care into your daily life. Self-care anchors you in kindness and love, even amidst a whirlwind of stress or trauma. Be aware of a wide range of needs and deliberately take action to support our own well-being.

Many of us want to practice kindness toward ourselves, but we don’t know how to start. Here are ten simple ways to nurture your wellbeing with self-care:

1. Nourish Yourself

Beautiful foods that nourish both your body and your soul set the foundation for your day. Celebrate your time in the kitchen by preparing dishes that help you feel grounded and alive.

2. Go to a Yoga Class

Committing yourself to a yoga class realigns your intention, connecting you with your breath and your body. Even if you don’t practice regularly, you can still benefit from a class.

3. Take a Bath

Water soothes the soul. Take some time to relish a bath, complete with bath salts and a plush bath pillow to support your neck.

4. Celebrate Small Changes

You love big milestones—graduations, promotions, and birthdays. But what about the small moments? Celebrate that time you handed in an assignment early or you reached out to a friend at exactly the right time.

5. Get 10 Hours of Sleep

Imagine if you slept for ten hours every night this week. You would probably feel rested, awake, and alive. Give yourself that gift, and notice how it changes your life.

6. Walk Outside

Fresh air and sunshine does a world of good. When you’re feeling down, plop yourself on a bench and take in a natural, serene setting.

7. Take a Personal Day

Your company gives you personal days for a reason. Next time you need a break, ask for one. Proactively honoring your needs keeps you from getting sick or burned out from exhaustion.

8. Write a Gratitude List

Gratitude lists bring your attention to the beauty in your life. For an extra-nurturing list, write down the traits you’re grateful for within yourself.

9. Let Go of Unwanted Things

Shedding clutter—clothes, kitchenware, books, and furniture—frees you to focus on what brings you joy.

10. Meditate

Meditation returns you to the present moment, giving you the opportunity to find stillness and appreciation in any circumstance. A regular practice can decrease stress and fortify you with a practical tool for everyday life.

🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻

(Courtesy of Gaiam and the Yoga Alliance)

[sheisrecovering]

[yourpersonalcheerleader-deactiv]

You are not a burden.

You are not a bother.

You enhance the lives of others.

People smile, not groan, when you text them.

Your voice.

Your presence.

You, matter.

[unapologetically-human]

Just because it isn’t happening right now doesn’t mean it never will. Think back to where you were a year ago, or two or five. What struggles were you facing that you felt convinced you could never overcome — but did? Which goals did you feel certain you could never reach, but in your own time, were able to meet or even exceed? These past experiences are evidence of your capacity to heal and overcome. You may not be exactly where you would like, but you’ve come so far from where you once were. Trust that the rest will happen in its own time. You’ve disproven your doubts and fears countless times — you can trust that you will prove yourself wrong this time too.

Daniell Koepke (via internal-acceptance-movement)

[adamgnade]

DO

fight for what you believe in but don’t forget to rest, eat, and sleep. A car without motor oil, gasoline, and coolant won’t get you anywhere no matter how fancy the engine.

[wearepioneerspress]

Another from Adam Gnade’s ongoing Do’s and Don’ts series.

[thesadghostclub]

[sensitivesuggestion]

self-care quality check

these are questions I ask myself to evaluate the quality of my self-care:

When was the last time I showered?

When was the last time I got some fresh air and sunlight?

How many hours of sleep did I get last night?

When was the last time I hugged someone? 

When was the last time I changed into fresh clothes?

How long has it been since I’ve eaten?

When was the last time I cleaned my living space? 

When was the last time I did something just for me that wasn’t ultimately productive?

[nightlovechild]

Because I just remember that I haven’t taken them all day. 

Please remember to take your meds so tomorrow is great.

[howilearnedtocope]

How to change your mood while honoring your feelings

So this is a pretty complicated subject, but here are the basics

Don’t judge yourself for having emotions. Remind yourself it’s ok to feel whatever you are feeling. It doesn’t make you broken or a bad person, and there is nothing to be guilty or ashamed of. Try to just accept the emotion without being sad or angry that you are experiencing it

Assess the situation. The first step is to identify what emotions you are feeling. (This may be help if you are stuck). The second is to figure out what thoughts or events (if any) triggered it. For example you might feel angry because you were treated poorly, or sad because you were thinking about all the ways you believe you have failed. Worksheets such as this one may help you with this and the following steps

Make a plan to address any issues now, or if the emotions are too intense, make a point to come back to this later. For example, if you are stressed about the amount of work you have due, your action could be to make a plan for what work to do each day, email your professor about an extension, and to identify and challenge the assumption that turning in a project late makes you a failure. DBT & CBT tools can help you identify and work through the process of doing this

Do something sensory. Focusing on your senses can be a very effective way to get out of your head, and allow your emotions to fade naturally. You could simply observe what’s around you (such as listing things you can see or hear), or you could create a pleasant experience by putting on a favorite song, using scents you enjoy, doing something with your hands, or some combination of these things. 

Remind yourself of things you have a positive association with You could remind yourself of a favorite memory, think of something you are grateful for today, read a message from a loved one, look at a photograph that you like, or imagine you are in your favorite place. Make sure you aren’t doing this to force yourself not the feel the emotion, but rather focusing your attention on something pleasant and being open to however your emotions change. It is important you follow steps 2 & 3 if you choose to go this route. However, if you are facing a thought you have all the time and you have already worked through those steps in a similar situation you may be able to go straight here.

[littlealienproducts]

You Are O.K Brooch by ivonnabuenrostro

[samxcamargo]

The one thing you can control is how you treat yourself. And that one thing can change everything.

Leeana Tankersley (via love-inspire-universally)

[femhype]

5 Free App Games That Will Help You Chill Out

When I need to relax, I don’t tend to turn to my computer games immediately. Maybe I’m too used to sitting at my computer and getting my ass kicked by Dark Souls to immediately connect the computer with relaxation. Either way, I’ve been playing a lot of Android games recently. There’s been a boom of free games that are fantastic, and I’ve been turning to them to find my calm in a very busy world.

The beauty of mobile games is in the name. They’re mobile, you can access them almost anywhere, and so long as your battery lasts, you can chill out with your phone. My phone is with me all the time. I’m never without it, so having easy access to my relaxation tools has been amazing for me. 

Here are the ones that I’ve been playing the most lately. Best of all? They’re all free (except for one on iOS).

Continue reading⇥

[babypink-babygirl]

[polcry]

B U R N O U T  1 0 1 // what it is and how the fuck to fix it 

So, you’ve been really stressed/anxious/exhausted and all of a sudden you’re feeling unmotivated/apathetic/frustrated? Congratulations, it’s looks like you’ve burned yourself out!

What is burnout?

Normally, burnout occurs after an extended period of excess. The breaking point is different for everyone; some may cave after a week of finals, for others it may take months or even years. Symptoms of burnout include, but are not limited to:

- Apathy/disinterest

- Short attention span, difficulty concentrating, switching between tasks frequently 

- Frustration with others, your work, or yourself

- Depression, low mood, anxiety 

Shit, that’s me! How do I solve it?

- Start small, and ease yourself back into the swing of things 

Make note of the stuff you absolutely unavoidably have to to do with immediate urgency. Order in terms of immediacy as well as workload. So give credit for tasks both urgent and time consuming. If it doesn’t need to be done (either partially or completely) right this very minute, don’t worry about it. 

Break big tasks down into little tasks and tackle them one at a time. Reward yourself upon completion, but keep it reasonable. One episode of Parks and Rec is okay; a whole series is not. 

- Reestablish a routine

As insanely fantastic as it is, laying in bed all day is not going to get you anywhere. Set a routine, and stick to it; wake up at a consistent time and actually get out of bed, accomplish a few things each day (but they don’t have to be academic - laundry, taking a walk or vacuuming your bedroom) and stay out of bed except for when you’re sleeping. 

Naps are ok too though, but keep them short and don’t start after 3pm because you won’t be able to get to sleep at a human hour that night. 

- Take care of yourself

Give priority to maintaining healthy and normal sleep, eating, and self-care habits. You’re going to be useless if you’re exhausted, hungry, and grimy. 

Try to identify why you’re burnt out. Yes, you had two weeks of back-to-back exams. But is there anything you could have done differently? Could you have started studying earlier, made revision materials as you went, reduced or delegated other commitments? While this isn’t necessarily cure for burnout, it’s crucial to preventing another episode further on down the line. And after all, they say prevention is the best medicine. 

- Ask for help!!

Counsellors (academic and therapeutic) are there for your use. Take advantage of them, especially if they’re provided free of charge by your institution! They’ve got a lot of experience, and could impart some seriously useful wisdom about managing workloads, maintaining your sanity and resources if you really are struggling.

Supportive family; not everyone is lucky enough to have one, but if you do, make sure they know you’re under duress and see if they can help in anyway - letting you get off chores or offering to help with your place if you’ve moved out, providing sustenance, or just offering an ear for you to moan and rant and talk it out. 

Make sure there’s nothing underlying that’s causing your anxiety/depression/low mood, and if you suspect there is talk to your doctor!