clairedelunetunes

[clairedelunetunes]

Whenever people hear the term 'self care', they commonly associate it with staying hydrated, pampering oneself, or doing recreational activities. However, it is the entire well-being we're talking about here. There are various aspects that we should consider in taking care of oneself. To be able to execute everything, we need organization and proper management in order to obtain every single thing. A good way of doing so is by creating a self-care plan. This plan should cover all the ins and outs, the pros and the cons of each area. By putting this into action, the whole plan should be effective.

In the physical aspect, we need to assess the condition of our body. When we're watching people do exercise, we need to realize that what may work for others won't work for you. Do not spend your time on things that you'll have a hard time in doing. Start it easy by taking a short walk everyday until it becomes a part of your day. Take it step by step and you'll find a comfortable routine. On the other hand, not everyone considers doing a diet. Despite this, we have to know our limits and if our carelessness overpowers our train of thought more. Basic things like getting enough sleep, drinking the designated amount of water, and not letting stress get to us as our body will also suffer are priorities as well.

Emotionally, we can't help but let our own emotions get the best of us. It may lead to a breakdown when a feeling being overwhelmed is present which is totally okay. We may also experience a slump wherein you just feel numb and no desire to do anything instead. Sometimes it's the emotions that control us instead of the other way around. Writing out your thoughts is one way of dealing the F word which is the feelings. Venting it out on a piece of paper or your journal can help ease the burden off your shoulder. Seek advice from other people and rant your ideas and thoughts so it wouldn't be overbearing on your part. You may actually get something out of the other party. Do not keep your emotions bottled up. You wouldn't want to blow up and hurt yourself or others, would you?

In the cognitive area of our well-being, we need to not let our thoughts get into our head everytime. Remind yourself to take a break. When you've been up late because of a homework, it is much better to rest your mind first if you can't help it. That homework will certainly be there when you wake up the next morning (unless you were cramming). To be able to think without your brain spiraling is more manageable. You can also distract yourself for a while through leisure activities or when taking a break such as watching Netflix shows, going outside, or do some stretching. By the time you get back to it, your mind would seem more refreshed. It's the simple things that we thought we won't need that actually help us more.

In regards to the social aspect, it has been said that no man is an island. Even if you are not a fan of too many people, as you’re contented to be alone, it is still necessary to connect with other people. Be it your loved ones, your family, or people that you feel safe with online. It doesn’t have to be an open forum wherein you share your deepest secrets and weep together. Just the daily conversations could help maintain your sanity. It doesn’t mean that you have to force yourself to talk to others. If you think you aren’t ready then do it as you please. Having someone by your side is a warm feeling that whenever your demons aren’t tamed, that someone will be there to keep them on a leash.

The area wherein our morality lies should also be taken care of. We should not act impulsively and recklessly all the time because we do not if we have already hurt someone just by the actions we make. Having the awareness between right and wrong will help us in decision-making. Being an attention seeker or discriminating others will affect this whole notion of your morals. Know your place, know your worth, and know what’s best for you according to your judgment without intending harm to both parties.

Along with that, our spirituality must be touched as well. Being able to connect with a higher being on bad times and good times, attending religious activities, or just as easy as praying will ease your spiritual self. Meditating is also one way of clearing out the thoughts and breathing in and out when you feel like no one’s out there to save you when you’re drowning. It can be as simple as looking up in the sky when things get too much for you or you want the calm and quietness it brings.

It is important to remember that self-care is not a trend. It shouldn’t ever lose your attention just because it is not ‘talked about’ anymore. It will surely impact you in the long run no matter what it takes. This self-care plan should not take a toll on you. You don’t have to do every single thing each day. Focusing on one aspect a day is a great start. Do not be too hard on yourself. It will matter later on. You, will too. Just because others will not give you the time of the day doesn’t mean you can’t do it yourself.

[clairedelunetunes]

The multiple intelligence inventory is one way of assessing one’s strengths and weaknesses according to the kind of intelligence that they are more likely to lean towards to. This is not totally a hundred percent applicable to everyone but it gives the person an idea on where they excel and where they underperform. I took the test and unsurprisingly I belonged to the introspective group wherein my top 3 learning styles belong. Introspection denotes that one requires looking inward by the learner; an emotive connection to their own experiences and beliefs in order to make sense of new learning. It isn’t surprising to me because I’ve been told recently that I seem like an introspective person with the way I express my thoughts and feelings towards something. This person can be intrapersonal (includes understanding and appreciating one's innermost feelings) , existentialist (the ability to be sensitive to, or have the capacity for tackling deeper or larger questions about human existence), and/or visual (learn best visually and organizing things spatially). Observing these results, I can understand why I appear to be empathetic towards people, why I prefer to look at the big picture first, and why I need to visualize for me to learn better. On the other hand, my least learning style appears to be the logical one. This person is good at reasoning, recognizing patterns, and logically analyzing problems which is not exactly my forte. I still need to work on my abstract reasoning and comprehending patterns and the likes. This may not be an unfamiliar ground to me but this is just a reminder that not everyone can be good at too many things all at once.

In relation to the type of intelligence that was put out for me, it is understandable why my special skills or abilities lean towards the works of the mind. I am never an active or a musical or a socialite person. With that being said, I mostly focus on the internalization of my thoughts and managing my emotions in the sense that when it comes to decision-making, I don’t let those get in the way. I can cope up with challenges and learn new information by making them prior knowledge which can be useful later on. I am the type to not mind working under pressure. In fact, I find it challenging and the adrenaline rush that comes with it is exhilarating. To not have aphantasia, in which some people are unable to visualise mental images, is a blessing itself. As a huge visual learner, I remember things and faces very well so I don’t have a hard time to recognize afterwards.

There are instances wherein certain factors hinder a person to achieve their goals in life. In the academic field, it’s the smallest things that continuously occurs that affect what I want to attain for the most part. It can be the the lack of proper time management, the distractions which I naturally entertain, and the procrastination that every student seems to do. I usually have my bullet journal where I keep track of the deadlines or activities to do but then procrastinating happens it inevitably leads to cramming which isn’t the most effective action to resort to. Mind you, I procrastinate all the time and still gets things done and maybe that’s why I don’t mind doing it again. Another thing is that I have a hard time focusing for a long period of time. I get easily distracted with the things that do not matter at that moment. It can be my phone, or the food waiting in the refrigerator, or the kids playing outdside the house. Since thent it’s difficult to get back in track and procrastination is more likely to be my calling. However, I slowly seek to completely change that habit because I am aware that it wouldn’t help me in the future and I don’t want it to be a thing that lasts. To be able to do that, I need to set my priorities straight. What things matter the most right now? Will they be affected if I do them later on instead? When you start doing things at your own pace, the rest will follow accordingly.

The thing with being an ambitious and competitive person is that despite having those traits, I am still not able to give a 100% of what I can do. It’s like a 40% of myself is active and the rest are still dormant. Yes, I strive harder. Yes, I begin to take risks as much as I can. However, it seems that the word ‘enough’ is currently not in my vocabulary. It is in the sense that what may seem to be enough to others is still below average to me. I aced the test? Good for me. I lead the group? I’m learning to do so. But these things are only a fraction of what I do and what should I be doing. This is where my ideal self and actual self turn sour. The standards I have set for myself are high that they appear to be unattainable. But then how do you improve if you don’t continue to aim more. It contradicts to what I am because if I seek to accomplish more then why do I still hold back? Although I take risks, it takes a lot of contemplating and inner monologues for me to do so. To take a step forward is a huge decision for me and so I prefer to just stay put instead. I wish to be a person who is in control of leading others, or being able to join extracurricular activities without a lot of uncertainties that come with it. All it takes to do so is a scary leap of faith even if it does seem so far away.

People say that what good would it bring if you only survive and not live at all. There is a fine line between wanting to live and wanting to survive. You’d either live because there is a purpose in your life or you’ll only survive because that’s the only thing you can afford to do. In my 18 years of existence, which sounds really cliche now that I think about it, is still a ridiculously young age. Just because you’ve turned ‘legal’ doesn’t mean you’d automatically know everything. You’d start to become responsible for your well-being and suddenly youre slowly becoming an adult. There is not much that I have attained during my pre-18 years but that doesn’t equate to your life being meaningless. I am not a person who is hands on to a lot of the matters around me. I was never the center of attention and that’s fine. I wasn’t praised highly and that’s also okay. My achievements so far don’t usually lie on the material side of the spectrum but more on the mental and inner aspect instead. If you count being consistent in academics then that is one. As a person who relies heavily on guts, or being an indecisive person generally, being able to choose the path i’d take on college is a whole achievement itself. College is a different world to dig in and it’s not something that one should take lightly. Simpler things such as being able to do your designated tasks of the day or taking leisure after a dull and restless moment is a huge feat already. Your achievement doesn’t always have to be grand. If it makes you feel accomplished doing them and a weight is removed off your shoulders then I am proud of you. You’re doing great and better and greater things will take place as you continue to live.

Happiness ranges from what you wish for others and what you wish for yourself. There’s no rule created on what things should make you happy. I find happiness on the smallest things which is a warm feeling inside of me. It can be the fact that I had a decent sleep, a compliment from someone, or just the fact that I am here to witness the moment I’ve been waiting for. A huge part of my happiness is through reading. The feeling of relief, warmth, and comfort after flipping through the pages or device equates to happiness. “I am glad you’ve let me inside your head. That mind of yours is swirling with ideas and you cannot not put it into words because you’ll blow up and that doesn’t seem good”. The mind is a fickle thing but it also brings the best in a person. Another thing is music. The feeling of hearing a familiar and unfamiliar song. The genre you’ve found the least fond of but it shocked you because it hit the deepest parts of yourself. Music transcends language. You dont have to completely understand it for it to shake you to the core. Life without music is like a library without the books. The Korean group called BTS made a huge impact in my life. The burst of relief, the instant serotonin you have maybe found in your instruments, or to your sports, or to your games, I have found it in them. The message their music brings, the goodness of their hearts, and the hardwork they always have are few of the reasons why a lot of people look up to them. I treat them as people whom I have the respect and admiration for and I don’t think that will change anytime soon They instantly radiate happiness and isn’t that what this is about?

[clairedelunetunes]

In the East, the philosophy and religion are tied together. It lies more on belief systems which were taught in order for someone to become a 'perfect' person. It's quite fascinating how they share that same goal. In regards to the beliefs each religion has, there are some that I find interesting and perhaps I believe in. The concept of reincarnation is not something I want to disregard completely. It makes you evaluate your life today that it lies in your hands on the state you wanna be at in your next life. Their karma is what I believe in. Be it a good or bad one, there will always be consequences for our actions. The Buddhism's 'nothing is permanent but change' heavily applies to everyone. To change is inevitable. But do not fret for it can also be a good kind. The Golden Rule of Confucianism is an essential thing for us to have a better relationship with others. Why would I inflict pain in other people if they don't deserve it. I think there'll be always limitations when it comes to this virtue. People can be impulsive and act without thinking about the repercussions. The balanced life a selfless person can have from Taoism is a nice take.

Eastern concept values relationship with other people. They become dependent of others unlike the Western on which singularity is more common. Because of this take of the Eastern, we learn how to be responsible, to pay respect, and to obey the authority and people older than us. You'd think it's that easy, right? Being sociocentric has its perks but it also has its cons. For instance, in an Asian household, voicing out your thoughts can result to elder people interpreting it as talking back with no respect at all. And they proceed to lecture you that may end up to be an argument or a one-sided kind of talk although you're still torn on what should you do. It seems like a superiority complex that some older people have. Directly or indirectly stating that "I am older so I know better", "I am older so I am always right", and "Because I am older and have more experience, you know we know what's the best for you" are just some observations that I greatly dislike about being overly respectful to the point that it creates conflicts with relationships. You may feel like following the Western Philosophy at some point.

On the other hand, when it comes to discriminating Asians, it is exhausting and suffocating that it still happens on the present day. When foreigners happen to know about your race they can be surprised because they just conclude that all Asians look like Chinese people. This stereotyping is sick. There's a lot of nationalities the Asia comprises of. Recently, I saw a video on tiktok about this generalization of Filipinos to the point that it becomes exaggerated. We all know that Filipinos like to eat food with just our bare hands. They captioned the video as 'this is how Filipinos eat' and proceeded to portray us like some kind of wild animal who devours the food like no tomorrow. That mockery is highly offensive I must say. But then when these things come up , we don't have to be afraid to step up and defend ourselves for their audacity to belittle our race. It may take a lot of courage but we shouldn't feel inferior to others. They're just another nationality like us.

In conclusion, it's really up to you if you'd stick to what you know or 'free' yourself to something that chokes you and your state of mind. Beliefs can be changed. Your values can be change. YOU can change. After all, this change is what will constantly remain within us.