Self-Care 101

love /ləv/

1. “anyone who sees what’s missing, but can’t stop pointing to what’s still there.”

-Andrea Gibson

I hope you’re all doing well. Fall is coming, and I am so happy. I’m sitting on my couch on a beautiful Friday morning, windows open and crisp morning air seeping into my lungs.

With some positivity finding its way back into my life, I want to take the time to talk about self care. I have finally begun to eat healthier meals and have been refraining from snacking when I inevitably get bored (we all do it, let’s be honest.) I’m taking walks to get what exercise I can while recovering, and going outside between google meet classes is a beautiful way to make the morning peaceful. I have also started getting into a routine. I wake up early, grab some matcha green tea from Starbucks, make breakfast, and then sit down at my laptop to log on to my first class of the day. After my live classes finish, I’ve been taking some time to organize and prioritize what I need to get done before heading downstairs, putting a Netflix movie or show I’ve already seen on the TV, and then begin studying. The show I’ve been rewatching so far has been Gilmore Girls. What I find so perfect about watching a show that I’ve already seen before while studying is the fact that I can glance up at any time and know what is happening while at the same time I don’t have to pay attention to the plot at every moment. In addition, I have also been turning on Spotify through my headphones. Why do I do this? The only place I used to be able to study was at a coffee shop, where there is always background noise and my own music playing through my headphones. The thing is, I need background noise to focus, without it I just can’t wrap my head around what I need to get done. All in all, I think I’ve found a healthy way to be productive and take care of myself in the process.

I got an update on the recovery time for my back this past week. The gist of it is that I have to be careful of lifting, bending, and twisting for one more month and then I will be able to get back to my everyday activities that I have sorely been missing. Mundane things like laundry and making my bed are tasks that I have been unable to accomplish by myself for three months now and I am looking forward to being independent again.

A quick blog update: I have been able to edit many pages on this blog as well as links, so feel free to explore a little bit more than usual if you wish. Among the things I have added include a link to my YouTube channel where I am planning to post original poems. Creativity comes and goes so sometimes footage and audio will be posted together, and other times scribbled journal pages will be posted here when the inspiration hits instead. This link can be found in a couple places. The first is my new “Socials” page. There you can find all of the links to my various other social media. The second place is my contact page.

In music updates, I have been loving a playlist by Kalyn Nicholson titled “sweater weather”. The feeling of fall brings sweatshirts and beanie’s along with a fresh fall hair color.

Wishing you all good health and justice,

Stan