Jair Hilburn, Editor-In-Chief

The time has come where we crossed the barrier and leave the past in the past – where 2018 came to a conclusion and 2019 began. With reigning in the new year, New Year’s Resolutions are starting to brew. However, this year, they will be different from the past because I’ve come to realize that it’s time to focus on the internal to make the dreams a reality.

The resolutions I’ve made have in the past have been: lose weight, read more books, and other things of that nature. While they are still goals that I will achieve, they’re not the one I’m focused on this year.

To achieve the goals I have set for myself I must first take care of myself and define what it is like for the individual.

There’s an ongoing pattern I’ve seen where people will work themselves until they can’t work anymore – and then some – to succeed. Last year, I exercised that habit to the point where I couldn’t anymore.

Through it all, the conclusion to be drawn is that you won’t be able to accomplish everything that you have planned if you don’t take care of yourself. When you don’t take care of your body, you’re more inclined to get sick. If you don’t take care of yourself mentally and emotionally, you’ll be open to being exposed to questioning yourself, feeling unmotivated and anxious, etc.

Self-care is the ideal way to combat and here are some ways to do it.

Self-Affirmation. The time of looking for approval and affirmation must come to an end to take care of yourself because you’ll find yourself waiting. The person that is trying to accomplish your goals is you, so you need to be the one to remind yourself that your abilities are more than capable to get the job done. Whether it be reciting a mantra to yourself every day or looking yourself in the mirror to tell you positive things, be the person in your corner because when you’re around you 24/7 which isn’t promised for others.

Take time for yourself. When you’re constantly around people, it opens the possibility to lose your sense of self. Solitude isn’t always a bad thing. Taking time for yourself is important because you can spend that time enjoying life doing what you want to do.

This can be a breath of fresh air as you’re trying to keep your head above the water.

Don’t be afraid to say no. It’s easy to accept everything that comes your way. Sometimes keeping yourself busy can distract you from what’s going on in life. It could also be seen as a way to make yourself of use to others.

While it is great to lend a helping hand, it’s important to help yourself just as much as – if not more than – others. The power of no can keep you from overworking yourself and lead to investing your time into things your passionate about and need to do.

Love your losses and walk with your wins. Failure can be a scary thing because it can create a snowball effect that leads to could lead to more bad decisions. However, the only way for that to happen is if you stay down when life knocks you down.

In every loss there is a lesson to be learned. Sometimes you’re just going to fail, and that’s alright because you’re defined by your failures just as much as your successes. At the end of the day, they’ll shape you into the person that you need to be for what’s to come – while also preventing you from making the same mistakes.

Treat yourself. Why wait for someone to make you feel good when you good it yourself? When you’re stressed, tired or just looking to have fun, take time out of your day to go out and do what you what you want to do. Be the one to make yourself feel good.

While these aren’t all the secrets to self-care, it’s a start. The hardest part is starting to practice it. The second hardest is keeping some form of consistency.

To come out of top of 2019, take care of yourself by doing the things that bring you joy and help you grow. You have to put you first no matter what because you matter.