In a recent episode of “How To Get Away With Murder”, I saw two main characters wanting to get away from the drama in their lives and do some “self-care.” The next scene shows them laying on a couch with face masks on.
Although the average person’s life is not as complicated as those in a television show, everyone warrants self care. The issue is, self care is about more than putting on a face mask.
“Self-Care” is a term used by major corporations to capitalize on a person’s stress. By selling face masks, bath bombs and wine while throwing signs saying “self-care” on them just to sell them.
Every television show, movie or advertisement shows women and men “curing” their bad day with retail therapy or drinking herbal tea. Self care should involve much more than relaxing on the surface.
People today should be educated on the steps that can be taken in order to make sure they are mentally stable. Mental health has become a major component in our society and we should have more resources to monitor our mental health.
Living in Miller Hall on campus freshman year, during midterms and finals there would be different activities branded things like “self-care nights” which included making stress balls, drinking tea and eating pizza. These activities might help in the short term but the long term is more important.
Middleton Library is another place on campus that partakes in these stress reducing activities during midterms and finals. I understand every student needs relief in stressful times, but what about all the other times?
I think a “self-care night” should entail the ability to talk to a professional who can give students tips on how to cope in stressful situations.
The point is that many people suffer with mental health issues and do not even know they are suffering. By self-care, it should mean putting yourself first and making sure you are mentally stable.
The media should stop romanticizing the idea of self care and show the reality. They should stop telling people to eat a nice meal or buy the expensive clothing and instead urge people to talk to someone when they don’t feel like themselves.
Our generation is getting more involved with mental health issues but it’s not enough. We should remove the negative stigma behind getting help. The idea is to stress the importance of talking to someone to better yourself.
Shelby Bordes is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.