PRACTICE SELF-CARE AS AN ACT OF KINDNESS

PRACTICE SELF-CARE AS AN ACT OF KINDNESS

(An article by Dinah Rubara)

Pharm school is doing the thing? You can't catch enough sleep? Can't catch up with the lecturer?

Haha! Me too *sighs*, but we're so beautiful to live life just doing the bare minimum. We're going to be happy pharmacists and that is why I would love to encourage you to practise self-care, you little distressed student.

It is easy to feel mentally exhausted in a world that demands so much of your time, energy and focus. Many people push themselves from sunrise to sundown in a quest to keep up with responsibilities whether at school, juggling social events, classes, exams, relationships and other commitments. With all this, the need to take care of ourselves becomes even more crucial. If ignored, our bodies can start to feel the impact both mentally and physically; opening the door for burnout, nervous exhaustion or even the development and worsening of mental health and substance use challenges.

Ready to take those baby steps towards self-care? A great way to start is by having a routine or a schedule. Organise yourself and the activities you want to carry out and this will assist you to do everything on time so as to avoid the last-minute rush with schoolwork or any other activity you're egaged in . Also, organising your environment and your workspace makes you relaxed and motivated to work. Give your space a sense of colour by decorating your room with your favourite stickers, portraits or even those colourful curtains that you've always wanted to buy! Just making everything around you beautiful and organised will brighten your environment and rejuvenate your senses.

The simple things that we look down upon might perhaps be the enemies of our mental health. For example, how do you react when someone bashes you or shouts at you? Do you shut yourself away from everyone else, trying to figure out why they treated you that way? One can work around this by using cognitive adjustment canis able to acknowledge things as they are and accept that no matter how hard you think about a situation that has already happened, you can not change a single thing. This perception of life frees us from the immense weight of guilt while also enabling us to make future decisions in a more rational and learned manner. To echo the words a friend of mine once told me," It's our time to make mistakes, you have no reason to blame yourself. " Those words hit home hard and it made me realise that no matter how bad your situation is, or how a decision you made ended up badly, or no matter how harsh people’s judgement towards you is; you can not undo it, however, you get a chance to do better another time.

Another strategy that has proven to work for me is the use of positive affirmations. The quotes will not directly change your life, but they will give you a surge of strength to move on by creating a sense of calmness and happiness. There are many ways you can do this; when you wake u p in the morning,you can begin by giving yourself positive remarks such as saying, "I’m strong and beautiful.". The power of such words has been underrated by the fact that they mostly come from some motivational speaker we had to listen to back in high school.

Also, find an activity that can cheer you up every day to keep you moving forward. If you like singing, walking, dancing, going for morning runs, home workouts or going to the gym; wherever you find your fit, go for it. It will help you increase your levels of dopamine. Dopamine is primarily known to be associated with feelings of pleasure and rewards and it can also contribute to boosting your alertness, focus and motivation. The flood of dopamine to the brain when experiencing a pleasurable stimulus can reinforce the desire to engage with this stimulus more due to the pleasurable feeling it causes. Sometimes even mere anticipation may be enough to raise dopamine levels

Other ways to improve your self-care include:

1. Calling a friend. Reach out to a friend you’ve lost touch with or check in with a buddy who you talk to on the regular. By connecting with supportive people you shall be able to serve youpositively positive manner..

2. Create art or music. Mental well-being can be improved through art therapy, which has been shown to be a useful tool for overall health.

3. Curate a playlist. If art therapy in the traditional sense isn’t your thing, try creating a music playlist. Whether the tunes are calming, upbeat or spiritual, find something that speaks to you.

4. Join an interest group. Love to read books? Join a book club! Enjoy cooking? Find an online cooking group. Interacting with people with similar interests is a great outlet for bottled-up energy and a great re-energizer.

5. Journal your thoughts and experiences. Sometimes it’s easier to write down what you’re feeling rather than speaking it out loud. There are tons of journals out there to fit your style with some of them even having writing prompts to guide your writing, while others are blank and let you take control. When all is said and done, a notebook will suffice as well.

6. Spend time outdoors. Research shows spending time outside reduces the risk of depression and boosts serotonin levels and Vitamin D production.

7. Start a new book. Put aside the internet and get lost in a good book. There are tons of must-read lists to get you started.

8. Practice meditation. Incorporating meditation into your daily routine can bring you peace, calm and balance.

Finally, good people, it is important to take overall note of these simple strategies that can help improve your lifestyle:

● Get proper sleep

● Ensure you stay hydrated

● Eat a healthy and balanced meal

● Take a break from technology

● A good moisturiser can also go a long way!

● Take a day off to give yourself a break.

There are many other more strategies that I have not talked about that can still work so do not confine yourself to only these ones! Remember in the end, to always be gentle with your brain.

How to apply positive affirmations into your routine:

I am going to share with you a few phrases written down in my notebook, every morning:

01/04/2023

Dear me, I'm proud of the person you are becoming. You're pursuing your interests and am thrilled. You're making progress academically and I wish you success. You have fought and overcome all depression. Nothing is stressing you. And the fact that you're ever happy and focusing on positivity. Yay, I’m in love with myself, keep going!

A few days back I wrote. . . I want to see you happy and satisfied with life. The more I focus on myself and my happiness, the more I feel good.

Dear friends, you could give this a try! Do not forget to reward yourself once in a while, sit back and look how far you have come. Take yourself out, even if it is to a park, a forest or a high-end restaurant. Tell yourself you deserve everything good that comes your way.