Not High or Low- Just General Maintenance
We have all seen the tik toks, the posts, and the overall trends about “low maintenance things to do to stay high maintenance”. From overnight lip tints, to weekly blowouts, this concept has reached every corner in terms of beauty, but not in terms of mental health. I’m a big believer in looking good makes you feel good, but here at The Edge, we know it goes far beyond that. Ensuring you are keeping up with weekly, or daily, practices to ensure you are putting your best foot forward is better than any weekly spray tan. So, here are a few things you can do to make sure you are maintaining the best possible version of yourself!
Set weekly goals.
In the beginning of each year, we all make our new year's resolutions that are supposed to help better ourselves, but how often do we keep track of these goals? They’re written in a random notebook or get lost in the notes app, and after sometime, we forget they exist. But, good news, goals don’t have to be written only once a year! Sitting down on a cozy Sunday afternoon and intentionally thinking about your week and what you want to accomplish allows you to prepare your mind for the week ahead. And these goals usually are smaller, like taking two walks or going to the grocery store, making them less daunting and easier to manage. This preparation can take as little or as long as you like, as long as you are putting intention behind it.
Think of your fuel.
Depending on what year you are in college, whether or not you have a meal plan, or don’t have a kitchen in your house, we all need fuel throughout the day. This looks different for everyone which is the best part of this! Each person has their own needs, AND each day looks just as different, allowing for more possibility. Listening to your body and ensuring it gets what it needs is essential to making sure you can accomplish whatever you need. Sitting down in the morning and just making a mental plan of how and what you are going to fuel yourself with lifts the burden of having to figure it out on the spot, and takes away the anxiety of what you need. If you feel ambitious, meal prepping for the week is also an excellent way to do this! If it can be a few meals throughout the week, or just making a grocery run to get snacks to always have on you. Making sure your body is fed is so important in self maintenance.
Check in!
Everything is always happening at once and no matter where you are in life or what commitments you have, this is true for everyone. All your friends, family, and loved ones have something constantly happening, and so do you! Checking in with one person, which can differ every week, and just talking about life is a great way to lift the burden you may feel, and also give someone else the chance to do the same. Even if nothing in particular is going on, just talking about all the random and silly thoughts you have had lightens the mental load a little bit. We at The Edge are huge fans of long conversations that start one way and end in a completely other way. This also gives you the opportunity to get closer with a friend while ensuring you maintain what you need in yourself!
Self-maintenance looks different for everyone and the most important part of it is that you listen to what you need. We all need different things to make sure we are okay, and no matter what it looks like, there is no right or wrong way to go about it:)
Want to share how you practice self-maintenance? Tell us on our socials @theedgemag