May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and in our current crisis, it’s increasingly important to make mental health a priority. Self-care can mean so many different things—from taking a bubble bath to setting up that first virtual therapy appointment, and everything in between. As Anna Borges writes in her debut book The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care, “self-care is a wide spectrum of decisions and actions that soothe and fortify us against all the shit we deal with.”
One thing we love most about the book are the scattered anecdotes (both from everyday people and experts alike) that emphasize how self-care can vary from person to person. Not only that, but these helpful tidbits offer up a whole list of tips and strategies you may never have tried before that will reinvigorate your self-care routine.
So, to help make things feel a little bit more OK this month, we’re sharing some of those anecdotes below! Check them out, and be sure to check out The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care, available now.
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Their Care: “The most important thing I have to remind myself in my journey through self-care is just that: it’s a journey. You’ll find it’s harder than you think to find time in your life to dedicate to self-care. Make simple goals, starting off even smaller than you think. Work your way up to the big changes, otherwise you’ll be too overwhelmed and throw in the towel. It’s OK to stumble along the way. Don’t be too hard on yourself while you are trying to figure out what works best for you. Just keep at it.”—Meg 22, West Hartford, CT
Their Care: “I am a partner in a home daycare business and I work fifty to sixty hours a week. I’m with kids and people all day long and the noise alone gets overwhelming at times. Taking time for myself to breathe and relax and not worry about work or the dishes in the sink, or whatever, has saved me from a breakdown more times than I can count. Before I started taking self-care seriously, I was so easily annoyed and always frustrated in every aspect of my life, constantly feeling like I just wanted to scream. Sometimes self-care is turning the music up loud in my car and screaming. It’s about balance.”—Katie, 27, Merced, CA
Their Care: “I am a partner in a home daycare business and I work fifty to sixty hours a week. I’m with kids and people all day long and the noise alone gets overwhelming at times. Taking time for myself to breathe and relax and not worry about work or the dishes in the sink, or whatever, has saved me from a breakdown more times than I can count. Before I started taking self-care seriously, I was so easily annoyed and always frustrated in every aspect of my life, constantly feeling like I just wanted to scream. Sometimes self-care is turning the music up loud in my car and screaming. It’s about balance.”—Katie, 27, Merced, CA
Their Care: “My self-care routine has changed over the years, but here’s the current iteration for every night: Turn on lava lamp, take a shower, do skin care routine, put on smelly lotion, turn on my electric blanket, lie in my bed, cross-stitch and watch an episode of TV, and watch the lava lamp. Then I turn everything off and go to bed. I had no idea how much I would love the lava lamp when I got it, and now I turn it on every night.”—Suzanne, 25, Memphis, TN
Their Care: “I am the kind of person who is very goofy and fun in social situations but pretty neurotic and anxious behind the scenes. Nobody really knows because I never talk about it (and am deeply embarrassed about it), but I have a history with anorexia and disordered eating and being kind of manic about numbers—step counts, calories, word counts, page views—that in some ways has contributed a lot to my success as a writer. I have good friends and come from a nice family and although I am not the smartest or the funniest person in the room, I work really, really hard.
To me self-care is mostly just being alone and not having to ‘perform’ for anybody. It’s keeping my space clean so I can come home and write or read or just be on the internet. My day of the week is Saturday; I get up very early and go grocery shopping, then on a long run, then shower and let my hair air dry for once, then make myself the same large and elaborate brunch while I watch Netflix, then write for a bit, nap, write for a bit, go on a walk, and then come home and have wine with a lit Bath & Body Works candle before dinner. I look forward to this day all week—it’s my reset button.”—Summer, 27, New York City
Their Care: “I read somewhere someone defined self-care as treating yourself like you would a six-year-old, which I think is a helpful and succinct definition. Because you sometimes indulge a six-year-old but also need to set rules and boundaries to avoid creating a monster.”—Cap, 35, Brooklyn, NY
Their Care: “I’m a paraplegic, a cat dad, and a health nut, and I’ve put a lot of time and effort into becoming my best self because that’s what the people around me deserve. My self-care takes the form of what a friend of mine calls self-constructive behavior. Every morning, I do yoga and meditate as soon as I wake up (and feed my cat). I think there’s a lot to be said for starting the day by just being quiet with yourself. I have anxiety issues, so centering myself like this makes the rest of the day easier. Throughout the day, I sing, eat healthy, and play with my cat whenever a chance comes up. It’s small stuff, but it keeps me going and feeling good, and that’s what my self-care is all about— making it to tomorrow.”—David, 26, Portland, OR
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We hope you enjoyed these tips and insights from The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care by Anna Borges. We hope you have a safe, happy, and self-care filled Mental Health Awareness Month! And be sure to tweet us at @experimentbooks to let us know which tips worked for you.
