What Was Your Self-Care Method And Coping Mechanism? Pt I

Name: Dahlia Adrien

Faculty of Medicine at the University of Notre Dame of Haiti

IG: @ Dabe_xo

My self-care method is to incorporate the little things I enjoy the most into my everyday life. Being in medical school in Haiti has been extremely time-consuming. The civil unrest we've had over the last two years makes it pretty damn hard to stay focused and remain positive. As much as Haiti is absolutely beautiful, it's also very stressful. Trying to get anything done often seems impossible when you're faced with a lack of electricity, traffic 24/7, and outdated technology. But, besides being all about medicine, I'm also a huge foody! I scroll social media for hours and hours and hours...and hours looking at videos of food, recipes, and anything new to try. When I feel my emotions getting the best of me, I cook. I put music on and pour all of what I'm feeling into the preparation. I like taking all my negative energy and channeling it into something that is supposed to be delicious, beautiful and satisfying for my family and I. If there's a dessert you want to try, I suggest you go ahead and try it. For that hour or so, you will stop thinking so much about all the problems you can't seem to solve and just be in the moment. Besides cooking, I am a firm believer in stopping whatever you're doing to disconnect when a mental break is needed. At the moment, I love to either read a book or watch a series on Netflix, specifically sitcoms. Currently, I am watching Modern Family. Those 30 minutes of laughter feel like a breath of fresh air and I don't feel guilty for taking that break since each episode is short. It also makes binge-watching go rather quickly, without losing your entire day. Hang in there, beauties. Self-care does not have to be fancy, it just has to be real and attainable.