Treat Yo Self

I believe girls don’t do this enough. The monthly spa visit or weekly bubble bath doesn’t cut it. Taking care of yourself needs to be number one on the list of to-do’s. With a strong, confident, and healthy you, being brave is easy.

Recently I’ve been swamped with scholarships, last minute college prep, studying for quarter exams…where’s the time to focus on me? Coming home every day from school and going straight into work until five was not something I enjoyed. Once I finished all the work I could possibly do in one day, it would be too late to do anything except eat dinner and go to bed. I lost sight of my daily workouts, I started breaking out because of all the pressure I felt, and it led to me being more stressed.

Right before I hit that “breaking point” I took a break one afternoon. I got home from school, I put my shoes on, and I went for a run. I was amazed by how good I felt. I was rejuvenated. When I got home from my run, I continued my afternoon of “refreshing.”  I took a warm shower and ended with a dead sea face mask. Although that didn’t work out exactly as planned, I felt better than ever. I painted my nails, put on a cute outfit, and I was complete.

The better you look, the better you’ll feel. Don’t lie, when you decide to wear that cute dress out you feel bracer than ever. Rockin’ the sweatpants and t-shirt is never a bad option, but it never satisfies your mood for the day. My confidence shined through the next day though. I was brighter and bolder and ready for anything that came my way.

Treating yourself doesn’t always mean beautifying. It also means organizing yourself and straightening out your priorities. All that work I had just kept piling up. I had no idea what was what at that point. I took out everything I had, made a list in order of when everything was due, and attacked my work like that. Writing down and making a checklist became such an effective method for me. The best satisfaction in life is being able to check off something, you’d be surprised.

In terms of priorities, I had to add myself on that list. I tend to get so passionate about making others happy that I hadn’t made myself happy in a while. Being “selfish” has a bad connotation. It’s not selfish to care for yourself, think of it as self-love. The moment you take care of who you are and love yourself is the moment you’ve found your brave.

Let’s see, a healthy life, setting your priorities, and a little bit of good selfishness, yeah that all seems right. Go get the mani-pedi deal, go to the mall to buy yourself a new outfit, and put first things first. The feeling I got when I went back to being “me” is a feeling I wish I never lost. And guess what, I got all my papers turned in when they were due, I finished all the enrollment steps, and I aced all my exams. Daring to just stop and take a break from the real hard is risky but it was even riskier to be brave. It always pays off though. Never once has bravery steered me wrong and I promise it won’t steer you wrong either.

seize the day,

Adrianna