I'm kinda tired of doing things I like for the sake of others. So. Here's a list of self-care stuff, tailored for you and you only, and how to do them the right way:

1. Go onto your chats, hit someone up with some funny topics and forget about your responsibilities for the moment. And when I mean "someone", I mean a person you truly care about. For me, I get this really fluttery happy feeling in my chest for the rest of the day after I have a long conversation with that someone, be it my best friend, my favourite senior, or that one person I have feelings for. 

Talk about anything under the sun. Just release all your tension and stress into the conversation and convert it to well-deserved humour and laughter. You'll find that your energy levels will shoot all the way up and you'll feel more lighthearted.

2. Switch on your computer, laptop, handphone, whatever - and go on a music spree. Grab your headphones or earbuds and immerse yourself in music. Search for songs on Spotify, scroll through your favourite creator's music on YouTube, discover similar songs or uncover a favourite genre you didn't know you liked. Just let your head be free of that suffocating helmet of whatever's bothering you, surround yourself with great playlists and catchy tunes.

Sometimes, music can be the best medicine you need besides laughter. Cathartic? Check. Relaxing? Check. So just close your bedroom door, stick in some earbuds and hit the song button. Don't care about whether it's an instrumental, "cliche, trendy" pop song, anime opening, K-pop song, classical piece or anything not mentioned here - as long as you truly enjoy what you're listening to, it's enough.

3. Cook or buy yourself a nice little treat. Mac and cheese, Starbucks coffee, bubble tea, nachos, nuggets, whatever makes you happy. Munching on that food is good for your soul - it's okay to indulge every once in a while. So don't think too much about it and grab that cup of ice cream.

But again, keep in mind that moderation is key, so after you've spoiled yourself, remember to continue your balanced diet and eat full, varied meals!! (at this point I'm just writing stuff I remember from my English speech about healthy eating and starting to worry about my grade for it but you know, whatever, on to the next point.)

4. This is more of a don't than a do, but it's here anyway. Don't write, don't play your instrument, don't draw. This is especially so if you're learning an instrument, writing fanfic, or painting for a class. People may say that these things are soothing and stuff, but if you noticed, these can actually make you more drained than relaxed. That's because you've got expectations on yourself - you strive to be perfect for everyone else to enjoy and be happy with your result. 

So if you find yourself stressing over the perfect synonym for "said", playing your instrument over and over again to master that song, or erasing and re-sketching to get that piece correct, then it's time to put down whatever you're doing.

5. Get out of the house, the office, the wherever you do your work in. Go to a place filled with nature, like the seaside, the woods, a lake, heck, even the untrimmed garden in your backyard will do the trick. It's said that positive ions emitted by recirculated air and electronic devices can impact your health, making you feel uneasy, irritated, and stressed. However, negative ions are good for you - they make you feel more energised, and even act as an antidepressant. They're found in nature, especially during and after a thunderstorm, near waterfalls, forests and water bodies.

So go to somewhere free of heavy human activity and relax. This can be especially effective at night, where this activity drastically reduces, and you can truly take in the silence and peace you need to calm your body down.

6. Just stop, drop, roll. I know this is the fire drill thing where they tell you to stop moving, fall to the ground and roll around to get the fire off you if your clothes were to catch fire. But I'm serious - drop whatever you're doing and stretch. 

I'm saying drop and roll because that's usually what I do - roll around on the floor as I play with my brother, but you can stretch in other ways too. It can relieve the tension in your joints and really give you a small boost for your work.

7. Keep a journal and write whatever frustrates you, or whatever comes into your mind, into it. Get a blank notebook free of lines, because lines usually inhibit the writing space you have, and we don't want that. What you need is a free space for you to write whatever you want, without feeling the stress of keeping to the lines. It's been proven that if you just write freely, all your tension and writer's block will leave your body. So get a blank-paged journal and write.

Hand-writing it out, rather than typing it onto a device, can be tiring for your hand, but relaxing to the mind. How do I know this? I attended a workshop about how to conquer writer's block during my creative writing seminar back in June, and one of the exercises was to write 3 pages of blank A4 sized paper full of whatever you wanted without ever stopping to think. This not only helped to relieve the stress and exhaustion I had, it also helped to regulate my thinking better.

So get a notebook and pen - doesn't have to be expensive, custom-made ones - and write. Write whatever comes to your mind, write about your life, write about whatever's making you irritated, write about what you really want for lunch and dinner, write about your friends and family. It'll really help.

(And you know what? How about just dedicating a pen for this as well? That way, you have your own specialised pen for your specialised journal and you don't need to worry about mixing work with worries.)

Aaaaaand that's all I have for now. Hope these help in the midst of all the stress of attending content-heavy lessons (for those in America/Australia/everywhere else not in SEA) and preparing for EYA/EOYs (for those in SEA, especially in Singapore and Malaysia). 加油!!