On caring for the self

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Dear Reader, Suraj here –

In the fall of 2021, right after cutting my second-ever birthday cake, I moved to live on my own, in a new city with which I was unfamiliar. Since this was right after COVID, even though I knew how to cook, I hadn’t cooked for some time. I had spent the past two years with my parents in my village, eating very delicious food made by my mother.

So when I moved to Kathmandu, living on my own, I didn’t cook in my apartment at all, not even once. I had lunch at my school’s cafeteria and dinner at nearby restaurants. At the end of that first month, I got terribly sick. For almost an entire week, I had to take bed rest. It was then that I realized: if I don’t take care of myself, nobody else can.

Isn’t this the reality in all aspects of our lives? If we don’t take care of ourselves, whether it be physically, emotionally, or mentally, nobody else can do it for us. Yet, so many of us overlook this fundamental fact. We neglect our well-being and wait for some miracle to happen. We let others control how we feel.

So here are a few notes that I think might help.

Physical well-being:
Imagine you had only one car for the rest of your life. To go anywhere outside your house, you had to use that car, and you couldn’t replace it with anything else, not even walking. If that were the case, how would you take care of it? What quality of fuel would you use for it? Would you clean it often? Would you get it serviced often? That car is your body, and this is the only body you’ve got for the rest of your life.

Emotional well-being:
If your best friend were going through the things you’re going through right now, what would you tell them? Knowing the way you know your best friend, what potential do you see in your best friend, and what should they do to reach that potential? How could they live a happier, more fulfilled life? What are the things and people they could get away from to improve their mental health? You know yourself best. You’ve known yourself throughout everything, and you’re the only one who’s always going to be with you. So why not treat yourself as your best friend and take care of that friend?

Action items:
If I could only do two things to take care of myself, it would be these:

1. At least 15 minutes of movement daily (walking or running outdoors, or working out)
2. Writing/Journaling daily or weekly

The 15 minutes of movement will keep you physically healthy. The writing or journaling part is important for our mental and emotional well-being because when we write or journal on a regular basis, we are required to pause, think, and reflect. Those are luxuries in the current time. This newsletter is my way of reflecting.

Many of us will read this and move on with our lives, but I invite you to consider implementing these things.

You can only love and take care of someone else if you yourself are healthy and happy. So be those things. Be healthy, be happy. Pause. Think. Reflect.

I hope this gave you something interesting to think about over the weekend.

I will see you next week.

Until then, take care, my friend.

Warmly,
Suraj