Self Care: Making Yourself Your Top Priority
By Lauren Brose ‘15
This year, my primary focus is my happiness. The first step to achieving this is by making your needs a top priority. A lot goes into your overall health and wellness and I feel that a blog post dedicated to this topic is long overdue. I am all about finding that inner-bliss and through these habits— many of which I have personally adopted over the past year— I can attest to what I’m saying. A healthy lifestyle is exactly that: a lifestyle.
It’s important to exercise but it’s more important to find a routine you enjoy
A good friend of mine pointed out that no one really enjoys working out, but they just do it anyways. I half agree with this statement because I choose to do things that I love and this includes my workout routine. I used to play Varsity tennis, soccer and track during high school and was absolutely burnt out toward the end. It no longer was fun for me and I needed to make a clean break. Fast forward 2 years and I weighed 25 pounds more than what I currently weigh. That was because I hated the idea of exercising so much I made excuses for myself and avoided it at all costs. The thought of running 4 miles at the park made me want to curl up into my bed and never come out. On my 19th birthday, when i decided that enough is enough, I looked into workout trends to spark inspiration on how I was going to lose this “freshmen 20.” That was when I discovered barre, the combination of ballet strength training, yoga, pilates and cardio. I ran in moderation but I really enjoyed taking barre classes so much I became a member of gyms that offered unlimited classes. Because I loved this workout so much, I became more motivated to stick to my schedule and reach my goals. I felt incredible about my body and my self confidence soared when I easily slid into shorts that were once too small for me (they’re still in my closet!). As cheesy as this sounds, when you’re heart is in your workouts, the results are stronger.
Mental health is a thing and it is more common than you think
Many think depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and ADD are things that medication cannot remedy but instead numbs out the area of your brain that is causing these problems. The bottom line: mental illnesses are both hereditary and circumstantial. Most of us have gone through hard times that make us question whether speaking to someone might help. You don’t need to be hearing voices in your head in order to seek help. In fact, college students are more vulnerable to developing mental illnesses. If you’re going through a bad breakup, having a hard time adapting to life in a new city, or is feeling overwhelming amounts of stress, just know that you are not alone. Mental illness is not only serious but should be taken seriously. Whether you realize it or not, mental illness disrupts everyday living and can affect relationships with friends, professors, and family. Through many resources offered, USC has been working toward creating a “mindful university” for students. They offer counseling, meditation, yoga, as well as other mental health services.
Check out the Office for Wellness and Health Promotion’s website as well as Engmann’s website for more information on this topic.
If you’re interested in calling USC’s Student Counseling Services to make an appointment or explore options, the number is (213) 740-7711.
Stop smoking even if it’s socially
I’m talking about the ones you are bumming when you’ve had a bit to drink. I’ve been guilty of this and I regret it so much the next morning. Sure I took a drag or two outside the 9-0 of my friends cigarette, but immediately regretted it the next morning when I woke up to the worst dry mouth known to man. I made a goal to take care of my body better and to never give in to “just 1 or 2 drags.” Please don’t make the mistake I made of willingly placing a substance that has been linked to care in your body.
Stop weighing yourself
A number should not define whether or not you’re in peace with your body. What should matter is how confident you feel in your own skin, and leaving it to a quantifiable integer just isn’t okay. I feel like we do this with social media–– the more likes and followers we have, the more of a validation we are receiving from our peers that we’re attractive, popular, accepted. When I try on clothes and love the way it looks on my body, that is the validation and boost in confidence I need not a number a scale displays. I don’t even know my exact weight and only find out when I see my doctor for checkups.
Learn to cook
Dining out is great. Chefs make food you’d never imagine creating on your own at home. The only problem is that we don’t know how much butter, saturated fat, and other dietary red flags that disguises themselves within the deliciousness of the food. Frequent dining out also drains your bank account, which is unideal for most college students. I grocery shop about twice a month and stock up on a variety of things that I can make at home. When I first came to USC and attempted to cook, I was mediocre. I learned through trial and error what worked and what didn’t work with my dishes. Now, I can make casseroles, FIRE spaghetti squash, yellow curry, vegetable soup from scratch and a mean steak. I know what I am putting in my food and this is imperative to leading a healthy life. After all, 70% of fitness and losing weight has to do with the diet you maintain.
Meditation is on the rise and for a good reason
A couple of my friends casually dropped in conversation how they’ve been meditating. It’s such an intriguing thing to me because I can’t imagine even being capable of sitting in silence and focusing 100% of my thoughts on absolutely nothing. Clearing my mind through thinking about nothing sounds contradictory and impossible to achieve. After all, my attention span is that of a 7 year old boy who had 9 too many Skittles. According to buddhist tradition, the concept of “sports” is synonymous to “meditation.” Instead of training muscles to strengthen athletic ability, they are training their mind to effectively meditate for longer periods of time. Giam offers a ton of advice for beginners in this helpful article. Also, there are meditation classes offered through USC’s department of health and wellness.
You should be getting tested at least every 6 months for STDs
People lie to get their way— especially when it comes to having their way during hookups. Just because someone says they are “clean” doesn’t mean they actually are. Even worse, they might be unaware of a STI they are currently carrying and have been passing along to their partners. Because college culture is regarded as a community of commitment-phobes and one-time interactions, being proactive and testing yourself for STDs on a regular basis is a surefire way of finding that peace of mind. I recommend 2x a year at least. USC health center offers testing as well as planned parenthood. Whatever your health insurance coverage is, know there are accessible facilities in close proximity to campus.
Stop extreme dieting
Living off of juice cleanses, cutting out meat, sugar, fat and carbs from your diet will guarantee one thing: your body going into starvation mode. Assuming you are currently consuming foods that include all aforementioned things, your body is going to at the very minimum need to wean off these foods over time. It isn’t a bad idea to manage your consumption. It is, however, a terrible idea to go cold turkey. I’d recommend looking into the way nutrition works before jumping in feet first to an extreme diet. Typically, one will lose weight for about a week and then all of that weight is gained back (plus more) over the next couple weeks due to your body having an uncontrollable urge to binge eat. When I changed up my diet, I tried to cut out certain foods. I realized through telling myself not to eat this and that, those foods were the only things I wanted to eat. Compromise with yourself. Allow yourself the foods you unconditionally love less frequently and in smaller portions. Commit to your diet and reward your hard work with your favorites. You deserve it! : )
Put your phone away
When you’re catching up with your family and your buddies are texting you about plans to go out later on in the week, save that message for later. In fact, don’t bother opening it so that your phone continues to notify you of your unread messages until you have time to attend to them. Being attached to my phone is a habit I’ve been trying to break for some time. Now that I am free to do as I please, I don’t owe anyone any communication within a timely manner. If your significant other or friends give you a hard time and say they expect a speedy response, kindly let them know you’re trying to become less reliant on technology and is getting into the habit of checking your phone less often. They should be understanding that you’re focusing on in-person relationships as opposed to the ones over text.
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