Self-Care Reminders for the Everyday

Every day we make lists. To-do lists. Corrections. Grocery lists. Orders. More to-do lists. Productivity it seems always comes first in our day and age, at the detriment of our health and our sanity. Failure to check every item off these lists often leads to frustration and self-doubt. You’re not good enough, you say, because you aren’t doing the very most that you can do. That though, isn’t true. Life is far more complex than a series of tasks we need to complete, or a set of obligations we hold towards the people around us, ourselves, and to the world as a whole. Health often overcomes will. Toxic habits blossom like inextinguishable weeds. We forget to step back and take care of ourselves – our bodies and our minds, always needing to do more more more. Until we crash.

Lately I’ve been trying to overcome this drive, refusing to critique myself to pieces when life throws tasks out the window and instead relocalizing my priorities — taking the time to listen to myself and my needs and my environment. Here are a few things I try to remind myself every day to maintain that focus. I have them pinned to the first page of my planner and like to flip to them when sitting at my desk and now have them as the wallpaper on my phone (which you can download here).

• Drink water. A lot of it. Carry it around with you. Drink a glass for every cup of coffee. A glass every time you feel groggy or feel a slight headache. You’re heading towards dehydration more often than you think. Our friends over at The Thirlby have a great natural electrolyte drink recipe – just what you need if you think you haven’t been drinking enough water. 

• Listen to your body. If you feel that something’s wrong with it, make yourself heard. For as long as it takes.

• Remember that you deserve the good things that happen to you. You deserve to take care of yourself. You deserve the extra effort. You are worth it.

• Take your meds. Every time, for however long your doctor said. And drink some more water while you’re at it. There is no shame in it. There is no strength in skipping doses. 

• Tell the people you love how much you love them. Tell them what you love about them. Do it frequently. Do it unexpectedly. Tell your family. Tell your friends.

• Check in. With yourself. With your environment. With your friends. Be present.

• Cancel if you need to. When you feel like you need to hit pause for a second so that you can recharge and take care of yourself and maybe put off a case of the flu or stop exhaustion — physical, emotional, intellectual, social — in its tracks, then it’s okay to call off plans and take some time for yourself. Follow through and reschedule if you can.

• MOVE. Move your body. Walk if you can. Stretch. Check your posture. Unclench your jaw. Lower your shoulders, and undo your fists. Stretch your spine. Seek help or consult your doctor about a way that works for you. 

• Unfollow them. If you feel tempted to do it, if you they bring you anything but joy, you won’t miss them. You won’t regret it. 

• Eat that vegetable. But also eat that pie. Food should give you strength but also joy.

• Stop thinking about it. They’re not thinking of you as much as you think. No one’s going to remember your small blunders, the way you tripped at the coffee shop or tripped up with your words. It won’t matter a week, month, year from now.  

• Embrace what you love. If it brings you joy (and doesn’t hurt anyone or anything), then it isn’t frivolous. 

• Show gratitude to those who show up every day and are there for you. 

• This too shall pass. 

If you find this helpful, you can download the list as a phone background thanks to Raquel Reyes by clicking and saving your preferred size and color option in the slides below!

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Olivia Gündüz-Willemin is Editor-in-Chief of The Attic on Eighth. She is dedicated to reading her way through the world and trying to stay as calm as possible.