I never thought much about the comments I say to myself when I look in the mirror. It wasn’t until I realized the shock and devastation I would feel if someone said what I think about myself to my face that it dawned on me that there are far too many moments when we are so mean to ourselves.

This needs to stop immediately. During the chaotic and uncertain times we live in today, we need to not only check in on our friends but on ourselves. Check your stress level. Look in the mirror and comment on something you like about yourself. Relax and take breaks when you need to. If you feel overwhelmed, take a step back to check your priorities and consider if there is something you no longer need to be doing. You need to understand that how you feel is very important. Putting yourself first is something a lot of people struggle with, but it’s absolutely necessary in order to stay healthy and take care of yourself.

When COVID-19 broke out, many concerns were raised about how this time would affect people’s mental and physical health. Feelings of loneliness became more common, being body positive became more difficult and many professors piled on homework assuming students had nothing else to do at home. Let’s just say it’s been a tough year for everyone in a different way. And if you feel like you’ve been bombarded with articles and social media messages related to mental health and body image … good.

It is so important to check in on your stress levels and mental health, remind yourself that you are beautiful no matter what and learn how to take breaks whenever necessary.

So I encourage you to focus more on yourself. At the beginning of this semester, I pledged to myself that I would schedule breaks, religiously give myself positive affirmations in the mirror every morning and take my mental health seriously. I stuck to this, and honestly, I’m feeling pretty good. Of course, I still feel overwhelmed at times, but overall, I’m so grateful I was able to learn to be nicer to myself, however odd that may sound. This is definitely easier said than done, but if I can do it, so can you. With midterm season in full swing, be kind to yourself, allow for breaks, sleep for nine hours every night and take it day by day — starting now.