Eighth Entry (October 31st, 2021)

     Despite being exhausted from a long night on duty the night prior and having a lot of coursework to complete for the week, I had still engaged in the deep breathing exercise, which I am very proud of! I am starting to work on my misconceptions and beliefs about self-care, which is helping me approach this deep breathing exercise in a different way. I know that it is more difficult for me to engage in the deep breathing exercise when I am busy or stressed, so I try to do these deep breathing exercises before I do something that is anxiety-inducing or stressful for me. I do not always need to be in my room, in the dark laying down to complete the breathing exercise, and although this is more comfortable for me, I also know that taking a minute to breathe in the midst of so many things happening helps me calm down and focus on the present and what I need to get done. In a sense, the deep breathing exercise helps me be productive alongside of helping me relax, and I am finding that there are more benefits to these exercises than I thought. Productivity is very important to me, so knowing that deep breathing exercises help me become more productive throughout the day gives me more incentive to complete the exercise daily. Starting my self-care journey has been interesting because I notice something new about self-care each day, and now I am realizing that self-care is a lot more than just a way to relax. It is a way for me to maintain my mental and physical health, become more productive, lessen my anxiety, and a way for me to resist against the systems that oppress me and tell me to ignore my mental and physical health and keep being "strong", which I really enjoy learning about during this project.

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