Small ways to maintain your sense of wellbeing right now
Because we need you in top form for all that social justice sis
The year thus far has been a real sh*t-fest if we’re being completely honest.
And while it may have been okay to wallow in the depressing melancholic soup of it all a few weeks ago, we all need to be in top form so we can go out into the world and support one another; to honour the Black Lives Matter movement and seek justice for George Floyd.
Let’s march for change but remember to take care of ourselves in the process.
Log off social media
Sometimes you just gotta do it. Put down the phone, take a deep breath and focus on realigning your attention to your immediate surroundings. Practice mindful awareness. If you’re tempted to peek, get out of the house and go for a walk.
Write in a journal
Write down your thoughts and feelings. Write poems. Write diary entries. Write novels. It doesn’t matter. Just get something down on paper. If this doesn’t come easily to you, we suggest drawing or even employing the help of a colouring book or two.
Talk to friends about how they’re feeling
Sometimes it’s great to speak to a friend going through the same experience in order to contextualise our own experience of events. When we are able to have our reality seen and recognised by another person it can create a space for mutual support and healing. Best friends for life amiright?
Exercise
Whether you’re a HIIT freak or a sworn yogi, move your body, and keep yourself mentally and physically healthy. Exercise results in endorphin-release and increase in serotonin in the brain. Yes, love that for us.
Immerse yourself in water
Bath? Shower? Pool? Pick your poison. Doesn’t really matter. Just immerse yourself in water and practice being still. Float. Feel weightless. Enjoy.
Meditation
Take that mindful awareness one step further and engage in a regular meditative practice. All you need is five to ten minutes, a lit candle or two and a guided meditation track sourced from YouTube and you’ve got yourself a DIY meditation class.
Most importantly, take care of yourselves and others. Be kind. Let’s get peaceful out there guys.
Want to see something adorable? What about Salma Hayek with an owl on her head?
Main image credit: @mariliandre
Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).
