European mental health week – Young Leader takeover – Day 3
Young Leader Albiona, from Albania, shares her experience and thoughts of self care
From balancing work and education to managing relationships and responsibilities, it might seem like there is never enough time to focus on our well-being. However, self-care is more than a luxury; it is an essential part for preserving our health and happiness.
As a young person living in a world of constant drastic changes, I feel the need to give time to take care of myself. Taking a minute and not thinking about everything that is happening around is important. I find self-care very vital for maintaining my well-being. Through this, I want to share my self-care understanding and some small practices.
Knowing how our body and mind are interconnected, our mental health and physical health require our attention and we can give this attention through different forms. For me, self–care is taking time off to care and do something for myself, and my wellbeing.
Although spa days and bubble baths are great, self-care is more than simply that. Self-care is about caring for our physical, emotional, and mental health via our conscious actions and decisions. It’s about identifying our own needs and taking proactive measures to address them, rather than waiting until we’re burnt out.
It is crucial to see beyond the physical aspect of self-care. I find that incorporating self-care practices into daily routines can contribute to overall well-being. Taking care of our mental health, doing activities to reduce stress, to bringing relaxation and mindfulness means nurturing our minds just as caring for our bodies. It is undeniable that physical self-care is about paying attention to our body’ demands and giving ourselves the rest and care we deserve. Providing our bodies with nutritious meals, staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, and engaging in exercise are some of the ways to do it.
But it is not only this, to take care of ourselves we also should fill our souls with purpose and fulfillment, and do activities that feed our spirit. It might not be easy to figure them all out, but it is crucial we do things we love and enjoy doing.
I see the importance of being kind to oneself, embracing imperfections, and cultivating a positive self-image all very important parts of self-care. Small stuff such as giving credits, and affirmations to myself affect me a lot. I find as part of self-care to be setting healthy boundaries and learning to say no to obligations that may negatively impact mental health. Especially with the last one, it was a challenge for me for quite some time, but
I realized how important is to put myself first and take care of myself before others. By taking care of myself I realized that changes happened and I am happy with those changes.
It is essential to remember that taking care of ourselves is not selfish—it is a profound act of self-love and self-preservation. So take your moment to do something for you.