Welcome to this blog on ways to practice self-care as a teenager!
School, sports, jobs, extracurriculars, and so much. Teenagers’ lives are so busy nowadays that we forget to focus on ourselves. We forget to give ourselves the energy we need to continue hustling. We think we don’t have the time to give ourselves the time we need to relax and unwind. And, we forget to remind ourselves that mental health is the #1 priority.
In the past week, how many times did you take time out for yourself to do a hobby or something you enjoy? For most teenagers, the answer is 0 or close to 0. Before school started, I used to be able to have time to just be one with myself and focus on myself without worrying about anything else. However, now that school is going on, I haven’t been able to give myself that luxury just yet – which is why I was inspired to write this blog.
I know that there are many of you out there that have so many things going on on a daily basis that life becomes super hectic and busy. Don’t worry, I can relate. But, I’m writing this blog as a solution to you guys and myself who are behind on self-care.
Self-care is a process of taking care of oneself with behaviors that promote health and active management of illness when it occurs.
Self-care is whatever you want to make it, as long as you’re improving yourself in all areas of health – physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. It’s not about remedies for when you have a cold. It’s about long-term habits throughout life. It is vital for building resilience towards the things that cause stress in our lives.
It’s not a one-time plan where you spend the day just for yourself. Self-care is about all the little AND big things you can do for yourself any day, every day.
But most importantly, self-care is a priority. To be successful in the world, you must be successful with yourself first. And taking care of yourself is part of that process.
So, without further ado, here are 10 ways to practice self-care as a teenager so you can grow your mind, body, and soul:
1. Get enough sleep
In order to take care of yourself, you must get an adequate amount of sleep every night.
The quality and quantity of your sleep have a huge effect on your feel physically and emotionally.
It is recommended that teenagers get 8-10 hours of sleep per night. If you aren’t getting this, rethink your night routine!
Some tips to sleep better are to not have caffeine/sugary foods before going to bed, turning off lights & closing all electronic devices, and taking a warm shower before sleeping. It is also important to reduce stress, as stress can make you anxious and not able to sleep. Calm yourself down by journaling and thinking of ways to fix a problem if there is one.
2. Eat healthy food
The food we eat has the potential to either keep us healthy or contribute to weight gain or diseases such as diabetes, but it can also keep our minds working and alert. Eating the right foods can help prevent short-term memory loss and inflammation, both of which can have long-term effects on the brain and, in turn, the rest of the body. Some of the most amazing self-care foods include fatty fish, blueberries, nuts, green leafy veggies, and brassicas, like broccoli.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-happiness/201812/self-care-12-ways-take-better-care-yourself
Of course it feels good to eat a donut or cupcake once in a while, but try not to consume those daily as they contain a lot of sugar.
3. Exercise
Exercising and getting physical activity in areway also crucial to taking care of yourself. It not only boosts our physical health, but it improves our mental health as well. It helps us be happier, reduce stress & anxiety, and make us feel confident about ourselves.
You may find it hard to incorporate going to the gym multiple times a week, but exercising does not have to mean going to the gym. You can go for a walk, do yoga, find a workout video on YouTube, or play a sport with other friends. This will help you get some activity in without making your schedule super busy.
4. Spend time with family & friends
Socialization is key to self-care. But, often, it’s hard to make time for friends and it’s easy to neglect your relationships when life gets busy.
Close connections are important to your well-being. The best way to cultivate and maintain close relationships is to put time and energy into building your relationships with others.3
There isn’t a certain number of hours you should devote to your friends or work on your relationships. Everyone has slightly different social needs. The key is to figure out what your social needs are and to build enough time in your schedule to create an optimal social life.
To assess your social self-care, consider:
https://www.verywellmind.com/self-care-strategies-overall-stress-reduction-3144729
- Are you getting enough face-to-face time with your friends?
- What are you doing to nurture your relationships with friends and family?
5. Find hobbies you enjoy
Self-care is not just about physical health; it’s also about taking care of your mind. And to do this, it helps to find hobbies you enjoy and do them often.
For me, I enjoy writing (which is why I continue to write these blogs), working out, playing tennis, and spending time with my family and friends. Doing these activities helps me be productive and happier.
Without these hobbies & activities, I would not be the person I am today. Hobbies are crucial to making the daily lifestyle one that you enjoy and get excited about.
6. Say no to others
Sometimes, other people can get in the way of your self-care routine. And, when this happens, it’s important to say no in a respectful and humble manner.
If you’re already busy with work and other people ask you to do favors for them, you’re only adding on to that long lists of tasks to complete. This may make you feel stressed, burnt-out, irritated and tired.
Yes, saying “no” to others is hard. We may feel obligated to say yes just to be nice, but it doesn’t help us in the future.
Saying “no” will take practice, but once you figure out a polite way of doing so, you’ll be more self-confident and have more time and energy for yourself, not others.
7. Go on trips
Going on trips is a great way to practice self-care. At one point or another, we need time to ourselves to get out of the stress of daily tasks and just relax. Even if you’re not feeling stressed, a short trip can help you disconnect and feel rejuvenated.
Now, this doesn’t mean spending thousands of bucks on a first-class trip to Italy (however, that would be amazing.) You can take a short drive to a nearby town, go camping somewhere, or even just visit someplace for a couple of hours. The goal is to drive away (get it?!) from your daily schedule and take some time for yourself.
8. Spend time outside
Being surrounded by nature and going outside is another way of practicing self-care. There is much research to support the fact that spending time outside and in nature can help reduce stress, lower your blood pressure, and live in the moment. It also helps reduce fatigue.
You can go for a walk in your neighborhood, play outdoor sports, hike on the weekends, or start gardening in your backyard. These will help you remain physically, and mentally healthy!
9. Get organized
“Getting organized is often the first step to becoming a healthier you because it allows you to figure out exactly what you need to do to take better care of yourself.” (psychologytoday)
Getting organized is a super general term, as there are many things you can organize – your mind, your life, your drawer, closet, or many other things. But, it’s helpful to start with one thing at a time.
All it takes is a small change – like beginning to keep a planner or using Google Calendar to write down all your responsibilities and events.
It is also a good idea to organize your environment, by making your bed each morning, keeping your desk clean, and knowing where your materials go in your drawer.
Getting and staying organized will relieve much stress in your life and help you be able to do things much more efficiently!
Check out my blog on how to organize your life as a teenager in 2021!
10. Schedule your self-care time
Last but not least, it’s important to schedule time for yourself for self-care. This is not a self-care practice, but rather advice to make sure that you get to practice it.
With a lot going on in our day-to-day schedule, it can be hard to find the time we need for ourselves. However, it is absolutely necessary to be able to cope with the demands of life.
As a solution, instead of waiting for extra time to come to focus on ourselves, schedule it! It can be early morning on the weekdays, afternoon on the weekends, or any other time(s) that works for you.
Also, make sure that nothing comes in the way of this time and you’re able to use every single minute of what you scheduled for yourself!
The Takeaway
Regardless of where you are in life, self-care is a must. You are your #1 priority, and should treat yourself like that. In order to continue doing the activities and work you love to do, you need to take care of yourself first. And, that comes by the following 10 tips:
- Get enough sleep
- Eat healthy food
- Exercise
- Spend time with family & friends
- Find hobbies you enjoy
- . Say no to others
- Go on trips
- Spend time outside
- Get organized
- Schedule your self-care time
Self-care is definitely not limited to the 10 tips listed above. It is and can be anything you love to do, as long as it promotes your health and happiness.
To start your journey of self-care if you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing “A Year of Self-Care Journal: 52 Weeks to Cultivate Positivity & Joy (A Year of Daily Reflections Journal)” Not only that, but check out this video called, “Self Care: What It Really Is | Susannah Winters.”
Your self-care plan isn’t going to be the plan you stick with for the rest of your life. It will change according to the different lifestyles you follow as life progresses. For example, at one point in your life, you’ll find that you need to focus on physical health more while at another, you’ll decide to focus more on mental health. However, one thing is for sure: No matter how many times the plan for self-care changes, you’ll continue focusing on taking care of yourself at every point in your life.
I hope this blog inspired you to take action and start caring for yourself more often. Once you care for yourself, you’ll be able to provide the care and support for others as well. Likewise, once you become successful with yourself, success will follow you with all aspects of your life.
So, best of luck and have fun on your self-care journey of growth and happiness!