A student applies their skin-care routine during their self-care routine. (Jackson Thompson)

Jackson Thompson

Self-care in real life

How daily routines affect students

February 5, 2020

AFTER a long exhausting day of school and work, Chloe just wants to go home and sleep. But there is something very important she must do beforehand. She needs to do her self-care routine.

Self-care is a basic way of life. It’s taking care of oneself emotionally, physically, and mentally.  Even though the term might sound trouble-free, it’s a lot more difficult than most people think. Most people usually take care of themselves in one way or another, so people assume it’s just easy. If people don’t take care of themselves, then there could be negative side-effects.

“When people don’t practice self-care it could be for a couple of reasons,” sophomore Jaime Perez-Orduno said. “The person might [be] lazy or there is something that is affecting them to where they don’t have the energy to focus on self-care. [When they  don’t participate in self-care] it can affect self-confidence when they realize they’re not really taking care of themselves, which could cause problems.”

There are different aspects of self-care. A big one that is frequently brought up is skin-care. Skin-care isn’t all of self-care but it is a big part for some people. Skin-care is taking care of the skin to improve the overall appearance and sometimes skin conditions. Many people incorporate skin-care into their everyday routines. Many people preach the importance of taking care of their skin. There are over thousands of products and many ways to make your routine.

“I try to wash my face often,” sophomore Chloe Bryant said. “I try to do it every night.”

Infographic by Kaiya Mcmahan and Desteny Casanova
Poll regarding RHS students

Another part of self-care is hair care. Some people’s hair care routine is excessive while others are simple. It could be simply just washing their hair with shampoo and conditioner or it could be putting more products in it. Some also do their hair every day. Everyone has their own way of taking care of their hair and everyone has different opinions on whether they believe it’s important or not.

“In regards to hair care, that is something I have trouble answering because it really depends on the person,” Perez-Orduno said. “If we’re speaking about aesthetics and self-care, [do] whatever you want with it. For the health, you would want to wash it and not leave it greasy and gross. I think to keep your hair clean is important. Do you whatever you want but keep it clean.”

Skin-care and hair care are just some physical ways of taking care of oneself and the body. Making sure to take care of the mind is also vastly important. Physical ways of self-care usually deal with the body. Exercising every once in a while and making sure to be hygienic are just two other important examples.

“I think about [self-care] as hygienic things that promote your general welfare,” Perez-Orduno said. “Like small things like taking a bath, washing your face, or doing exercise regularly is self-care.”

Skin-care and hair care are believed by some that it’s more cliché instead of actually important.

“Skin and hair care on the outside is more of an aesthetic type thing instead of really taking care of yourself, but taking care of your skin is important,” Perez-Orduno said. “This is because a lot of kids care about how their skin looks, like if their skin is oily they  might start to feel self-conscious. For example, if a kid feels self-conscious about how oily their skin is or their acne it could have a negative affect on them. It would make anyone feel self-conscious. I imagine [self-care] as a self-confidence booster.”

Self-care isn’t just physical. Mental self-care is the key to being fully happy.

“[Mental self-care] entails doing something to distract yourself,” Perez-Orduno said. “Like if something traumatic happened you partake in an activity to distract yourself.  Keep yourself sharp. Socializing with other people is how I do it.”

Some people think that self-care can have a negative effect.

“Sometimes yes [it can be positive],”  freshman Ivan Orihuela said. “It should affect us positively, [but] some people just do it excessively.”

When people don’t participate in self-care there might be an issue.

“Sometimes I am unmotivated [to participate in self-care], but I think eventually you have to realize you need to start taking care of yourself,” Perez-Orduno said. “Because it becomes noticeable after a few days if you haven’t taken a shower or washed your face. There is a point when you just need to do it and realize you have to do it. You’ll feel better about yourself if when you do start it. Self-care does improve mental health, it boosts your self-confidence.”

If having trouble starting the process,  there are many tips to get started.

“Get plenty of sleep,” Bryant said. “Find ways to relax and eat right. Stay positive about situations and cut negative people out of your life.”

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