STEPHANIE, 21 YEARS OLD

DEFINING SELF-CARE

I think that self care can be any action performed with the purpose of bettering your well being at a certain moment. Self care for me a lot of the time is simply just taking a break from whatever I’m doing. If I’m not feeling great mentally, I will do things that help me feel more organized and “put together,” so that I have no added stress. Going to the gym has also become a new form of self care.

My Mental Health Story

I’ve always been a very anxious person, and I thought that everyone felt the same way as me for a long time. I feel the physical symptoms of anxiety a lot of the time (heart palpitations, nervous stomach, constant worried thoughts), and when there’s actually something to worry about I feel these symptoms so much more intensely. I would say middle school is mostly when this started. Occurring in waves over the years and hitting its peak freshman year of college.

I do feel good and bad in waves, so I talk myself out of needing therapy when I’m feeling good. I get overwhelmed with all the phone calls that need to be made and finding the right therapist for me, so I just keep putting it off. To take care of it right now I like to talk to my mom and try to do self care to relax.

Advice For Young Adults

Do anything to take care of your mental health! Mental health is so important and there shouldn’t be any kind of stigmas around needing help.

ANONYMOUS, 21 YEARS OLD

DEFINING SELF-CARE

Anything that gives you a moment to relax or time to do something you love. I would consider self care as hanging out with people you love, watching a movie or a show, and doing a hobby or something you enjoy.

My Mental Health Story

My mental health started to struggle at the end of my sophomore year, when I started comparing myself to others and realized I wanted to look better for my own happiness. I started not eating as much and soon lost a ton of weight, although this didn’t come without consequences. Prior to doing this I was already anemic, but with continuing this pattern of not eating as much I started getting dizzier more easily. I get bruised extremely easily and my friends and family started to notice I was losing weight at a drastic pace.

This affected me because not only was I noticing my weight loss, but the people around me were as well. People started approaching me regarding my weight loss and making little comments. It wasn’t until I talked with my friends and family that I realized this was a real problem.

I started eating more than I did before and at first I would’ve been extremely tempted to go on the scale or look in the mirror and pick out my insecurities. With the help of my loved ones I was able to see that I was pretty just the way I am and gain confidence in my own skin.