Part of taking care of yourself is taking care of your hygiene and health. Along with your well-being and your mental health. This article includes experiences from others that you can use as a tool to your advantage, that can help you in school and in environments outside of school.

Everyone’s skincare routine is different, some out of the ordinary than others, but they work for them. “I ice my face every morning and night. It works for me because it depuffs my face and minimizes my pores,” said Carla Rich, a senior here at Osbourn.

Trying to find an at-home remedy that works for you is hard at times, but not for Carla Rich. “I have a combination of oily and dry skin, so I recommend a Greek yogurt mask twice a week because it gently exfoliates my skin and hydrates it. It works best for me in the winter when my skin gets dry.” said Carla. If at home DIY masks aren’t your thing then you can eat food that helps you clear your skin. “…when I see that I’m getting a few bumps I eat a lot of cucumbers and they clear up my skin.” said Keila Rich, a junior here at Osbourn. 

While those are ways they care for their skin, Katie Ho, a freshman here at Osbourn, cares for her skin by taking everything showers. An everything shower is not a regular shower you do every day, but a shower some does about 1-2 a week that includes doing things you don’t do when you usually shower. “…what I do is shampoo and condition, L’Oréal Glossing Mask for 5 minutes after conditioning, while the hair mask is in my hair, I shave to pass the time, I use Tree Hut body scrub to exfoliate and avoid razor bumps before shaving with Venus razors. After I use a loofah and Dove body wash to clean my skin, after I get out the shower I then dry my hair and put in a shine spray, then I put on EOS Vanilla cashmere lotion, and then I cleanse my face with a cleansing oil from a good brand like ma:nyo (a Korean skincare brand) and a facial cream recommended to me by my doctor,” said Katie. 

People feel the need to relax, not because they’re lazy but because they have things that keep them from relaxing, like stress or overthinking. For Katie H,o what stops her from relaxing is “Thinking about all the homework I have to do and school in general.”. Although Katie does have a way to escape from the stress and overthinking. “I like to lie in bed and watch movies or shows or TikToks, and listen to music because it takes my mind off the stressful day,” said Katie. Not only does stress and overthinking affect your well-being by keeping you tense and not able to relax, but so does feeling sad and mad. As a religious person, Keila Rich has different ways she suspends those feelings. “I suspend the feeling of being sad and mad by praying to God,” said Keila. 

Relaxing gives you a chance to reboot yourself and reset your mind, but it’s not necessarily a smart way to increase your serotonin levels after a long time of relaxing. What really does increase your serotonin levels, which is a chemical messenger in the body that lets nerve cells communicate to each other to regulate your mood, is to engage in activities or hobbies that make you feel more like yourself. “Playing volleyball with my friends makes me feel more like myself because they bring out my laughter and I can show I’m comfortable with them,” said Carla Rich. Habits are also a good way to increase happiness and dopamine. “A good habit is to romanticize everything you do, whether it’s pretending like you’re Rory Gilmore in order to get your homework done,” said Carla.

Taking care of your hygiene, mental health, and overall well-being is the best thing you can do for yourself because it increases your chances of being happy. Whether it’s having a skincare routine, a specific shower routine, relaxing in bed, or being active with your friends, it will reduce stress and increase your energy. So while you should take time for yourself to relax and rebuild your energy, you also want to stay active and engaged with the outside to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself.

What do you do to relax, and how do you make sure you’re still active? Tell us in the comments!