RYB Summer Self Care Guide in 8 steps! By Catherine Weingarten

This spring I finished my MFA in playwriting, so have been thinking a lot about “Self-care” and how you close one door and open another. How can you be ambitious and move on to your next step while also honoring that you’re a person who just finished something that was a lot of effort! At my writing program I focused so hard on deadlines and writing banging plays, that a lot of times self-care had to come second and that’s why the summer is a great opportunity to reconnect to myself and slow downnn. 

I’m a super ambitious chick, so sometimes I try to forget self-care is a thing and just move on too quickly. But in these steps below I’m gunna write out some summer self-care tips that I’ve done and wanna try, and hope they will help you have some self-care friendly fun this summer! 

1. Get out to nature or something nature like!  Spending time outdoors helps remind you how you're part of something bigger. It’ll make the small things melt away into randomness. Bonus points: Go to a beach for a day and hang out with a cute starfish like the one pictured above! 

2. Turn off dat phone!  Have a badger eat it! Let a friend steal it for a day! We are all way too connected to technology and the constant stream of news and updates can increase anxiety and depression. What I like to do is just take parts of the day that are technology free and focus on reading or hanging with a friend. 

3. Go on a food scavenge!  I am such a foodie and since I live in NY this is a bit of an easy one for me cause there’s always weird unicorn bakeries or chai ice-cream places that open every day. As someone who has struggled with body image in the past, being able to try new things and make an adventure out of it is really good for me! Let food become something more than just a thing to help you lose or maintain weight. My friend Maddie and I recently found donuts that looked like roses! How romantic is thattt! (if you’re in NY, you can find them at Doughnut Plant) 

4. Pamper yourselffff!  If you are a princess or something cool like that you can probably go to a spa for a week and really go all out. But for us normal people, you can totes pamper yourself on a budget! I like to use some bubbles or a lush bath bomb or maybe some healing bath salts, to get my bath going! A nice, relaxing bath can really help you slow down and relax. Other fun pampering activities include massage, facial, getting your nails done etc. I have legit taken so many baths since graduating school, it’s a little embarrassing! 

5. Try to calm down the multi-tasking!  When you are constantly doing 10 things at once, you can’t really give your full focus to anything and it shortens your attention span. Also doing one thing at a time really helps you give your all to it and helps you be in the moment. 

6. Move a little!  For the first time in my life I have actually started to like working out! I think it’s because finally I am doing it for me and not focused on calories. I like to workout because it makes me feel good and I know it gets my body more ready to do the things I want it to do. Remember to work out, you don’t need to do intense workout classes that freak you out, you can just take a nice walk or do a little treadmill. The most important thing though is if it's something that helps you get PUMPED up! 

7. Be an Artist! Or at least make some Art!  Doing art work is a way to connect with how you're feeling, without having to talk! If you're struggling with something, a lot of times it’s easier to write about it or paint about it than be able to understand it in a rational way. Try something totally new this summer! Be an art hobbyist! 

8. DO Something Trashy!  Binge on your Netflix, go see some 7th graders do Improv, go to a high school reunion and don’t go in-just watch from a window! Get in touch with yourself and really make sure you're following your cravings and having some fun, mindless activity time along with the things above. 

Have a good summer everyone!! And remember every body is a beach body and you rock! 

xo 

Catherine

Blog post written by Contributor and Resident Playwright Catherine Weingarten.

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