Hey everyone! My name is Cameron, I’m a 5th year Media Production Major at the University of Cincinnati, and the Video Intern here at 1N5. It’s incredible to be able to work on projects that have such an impact on the community.
For the longest time when I imagined self-care, I pictured someone having a complicated spa day, and I wasn’t interested, and that amount of time also wasn’t something I felt like I could spend doing something “unproductive.” It wasn’t for quite some time that I realized that all the small things that I was doing were self-care.
There are several other things I do to practice self-care. Some other quick and easy things I do are, taking a break from what I’m doing to do some quick exercise, listening to some of my favorite music, watching a short YouTube video, or talking with my roommates. If I have an extended period, like a day off or on the weekends, I’ll do something a little longer. Some of my favorite things are, watching a movie, playing a game, or working on some music. If needed, I’ll target an aspect of myself to take care of like doing exercise or stretches to do some physical self-care. If my mind is just a little overwhelmed, I’ll read or watch a video, or if I’m feeling down, I’ll listen to a song that helps cheer me up.
To anyone who is just starting their self-care journey, my advice is this: find things that work for you. These will be different for everyone, they may not be any of the things that I listed, and it might not be something that people often think of as self-care. But if it is having its intended effect, stress relief, feeling better physically, or just general relaxation or enjoyment, then it is doing what it is supposed to. It doesn’t have to be complicated; the easier the better. Once you’ve identified an activity or activities, try to find some time in your days and weeks for them.