Entry 7: Meaningful Self-Care Practices

I've looked at the many aspects of wellbeing in these e-learning programs. First of all, the
self-care practice that I’m pretty interested in, which is a digital detox. It went very well overall,
considering I started the digital detox with a full day on Saturday. In the morning, I began my
day by drinking a cup of warm water and then doing yoga on my own, as I had learned in yoga
class. I took a 5-minute break after around 30 to 45 minutes of yoga and then took a shower.
After that, I treated myself to a cup of coffee, which is one of my favorite beverages, and a light
meal, as I am not a morning person. I continued to undertake another section of the digital detox
in the evening. All of the lights were turned off by me and my housemates. We were sitting
together, lighting a candle, listening to music, and taking in the ambiance. We also had a few
discussions, such as sharing our days or telling anecdotes. Following that, I returned to my room
and began my skincare regimen. Putting on a mask and reading a book given to me by one of my
instructors. Finally, I finished my digital detox day by going to bed with a hot steam eye mask,
which helped me sleep better. Overall, that digital detox day was really delightful and beneficial
to my mental and physical well-being. I think I will continue with this self-care practice, but just
weekly, especially at the weekend. Since my workload is pretty heavy, so I do not have time
during the weekday to do it. The second self-care practice is promoting positive internal
communication. I'm an introverted person that has an annoying habit of overthinking. I have a lot
of thoughts, but they are largely negative. When I realize I've made a mistake, I generally
condemn myself. I felt useless and powerless, and I couldn't even control my thoughts. I'm aware
that this is a bad habit, but I couldn't do anything about it. I just tried to think more optimistically
every time I had a mental breakdown. Because I knew I wouldn't be able to stop myself from
thinking. As a result, I wanted to think about something good, something joyful and exciting.
And now, because my roommates and I are so close, I'm going to chat with them. I realize that
this would be really beneficial for me, however, it’s quite hard for me to handle it and sometimes
it went beyond my control. So, I think that I would not continue with this self-care practice, since
I’m having the final exams now. Therefore, I don’t want to affect my emotions and myself.