a list of self-care, basic as hell (seriously, i mean Basic) habits that worked for me before and still do. this is mostly a note to self. might not work for everyone, might sound stupid.

• try to wake up early, even if your eyelids hurt a little at first when the morning rays seep in uninvited. it makes falling asleep at night a whole lot easier;
• take a cold bath in the waking hours, it does wonders;
• or take a hot bath before going to sleep, it helps with the pain, sometimes;
• read some long, 200k words fanfiction;
• and if your mind can't settle down, play that feel-good video game (you know the one);
• find your flaws and try your damnest to fix them;
• download game apps to your phone. play them when you get fidgety;
• put on eyeliner, i promise you, it'll make you feel less shitty in the bad days;
• listen, coffee is bound to make you feel even shittier. it's good, but not a lot. mix that shit with milk;
• eat homemade meals, you know that junkie stuff is going to kill you someday;
• cut your hair, change its color. do something drastic if you're feeling like it. anything to make it easier to look at yourself in the mirror;
• drink less coffee and more tea;
• take your goddamn medicine;
• buy and eat chocolate. don't feel guilty about it;
• eat the vegetables in your plate;
• netflix! watch that one movie that makes you really giddy and happy inside (pride and prejudice really does it for me);
• take pictures. remind yourself that the world can be beautiful even when your vision is fogged;
• take a long shower, change all of your clothes, put on your favorite, clean pajamas. you're feeling dirty for a reason, don't let whatever it is cling to your clothes;
• you know those really negative, "realistic" people in your life that make you want to scream whenever you talk to them? cut those assholes out of your life. they won't be missed;
• smoking is... not a good idea. try to avoid that if you can;
• go play with your pet if you have one;
• spend time with your friends. they don't even have to be close friends, they can be that one really outgoing person you know that's always down for anything. let yourself be surrounded by people;
• allow people to care about you, allow them to be cheesy with you, allow them to hug you if you feel comfortable with that, reach out to them when you need to;
• watch speed paint videos on youtube, they're good for soothing;
• comfort food is a real thing. eat yours;
• ice!!!! cream!!!!!! that's it, that's the tip;
• use pinterest, make moodboards;
• for fuck's sake, let yourself cry if you need to;
• pour yourself a big, cold glass of water after you're done with all the tears, down it in one go. drink another glass if you want to;
• you didn't hear this from me, but sometimes drinking alcohol by yourself can be fun. if it's your thing, do that. but for the love of god, don't become an alcoholic;-
• there's no shame in hiding under heavy covers;
• take a nap;
• talk to people. i mean it. talk. to. people. you're really, really not alone, no matter what your mind tries to convince you of;
• which reminds me: try not to listen to that annoying little voice in the back of your head - deep down you know its full of shit, tell it to go fuck itself, you're good at that;
• learn to not give a fuck. seriously;
• write whatever. doesn't matter if it's not good. words come and go, they don't always have to look pretty to be meaningful;
• stretch that ass in the morning, it shoos the laziness away;
• look at art, doesn't matter what kind or if it's good art;
• go to the movies! watch that horror movie with the terrible trailer and shit cgi. laugh in the scary parts;
• i don't know who said it, i really don't, but i've heard that if you're feeling sad, just look at the sky for a few minutes - or hours. the vastiness of this huge wide world really belittles your feelings and that's not always a bad thing;
• keep a journal. do spreads. buy yourself cute stickers and pens. journaling really is therapeutic;
• i can't stress this enough: stay hydrated. carry bottles of water with you everywhere;
• make!!!!!!! your bed!!!!!
• and clean!!! your room!!! you have no idea how much it can unfuck your head. you already have a messy mind, you don't need an even messier bedroom to complement the godawful landscape;
• create playlists of your favorite songs, create playlists of instrumental songs. listen to them when you're feeling less than shitty;
• be positive. it's easier said than done, but a bad atitude won't do you no favors, i swear;
• buy cute, sparkly stuff when you see them, if you have the cash to spare. momentary happiness is happiness nonetheless;
• skip school if you have to. i know you're gonna miss a shitton of stuff, but you can worry about those tomorrow;
• keep plants, they make breathing easier, and sometimes we need to care for something that isn't ourselves to remind us that all things need nurturing;
• wear your favorite outfit, doesn't matter if it's weird as long as it makes you feel good in it;
• wearm comfortable clothes, none of that squeezed tight stuff. oversized shirts can save lives;
• this is a real thing: don't paint the walls of your bedroom with dark colors. white? good. beige? good. navy blue? nuh-huh;
• decorate your room the way you want to. make it look like a dreamscape or those aesthetic pinterest pictures;
• good lighting helps with atmosphere. change your lightbulbs, and if they're yellow switch them to white;
• spend more time on your hobbies. they're not a waste of time. sometimes they're the only thing keeping us afloat when we're threatening to slip under;
• make shit art and allow yourself to get better at it;
• convince yourself that no matter how bad things are now - they'll get better eventually. storms don't last forever. don't let yourself be flooded;
• remember that sometimes things are manageable, even depression. own it. learn to talk to it. or better still, learn how to make it shut the fuck up, even if just for a little while;
• and please, be kind to yourself.