A Mental Health Reminder

Over the past two weeks, there has been a series of events in my life that has seriously stressed me out. I took a step in my personal and professional life I’m not sure I’m ready for, and I might not like the outcome, but I still want to persevere and push through—and the anticipation and anxiety is really stressing me out.

For the most part, I mainly have good days when it comes to my mental health. But sometimes, like these past couple weeks, I need to remind myself to breathe and do things that help me relax and soothe my anxiety.

So, last week my friends and I ditched the library and took a stroll along the breakwater to watch the sunset. Taking some time to walk in nature always improves my mood and helps me de-stress, but even more so, the ocean always helps me feel at peace.

We walked along the breakwater, spotting a group of adorable sea otters and seals along the way, and chatted and laughed in the crisp ocean breeze. As the sun began to set, we were blessed with the most amazing sunset—probably the most amazing I’ve ever seen.

The beginning of the sunset, just after the sun slipped below the horizon.

The sun slipped behind the horizon, and as it did, the entire sky was set ablaze. We watched in awe as with every passing second the sky got more and more beautiful. The four of us stood there for what seemed like an eternity, rooted to the ground and dumbfounded by the natural beauty in front of us. No matter how many we took, no photo could do this magnificent sunset any justice.

The sky was set ablaze with each passing second, it took our breath away.

Catching the most beautiful sunset just sent me a reminder that taking a break can benefit you more ways than one. Caring about yourself is important. Caring about your health is important. Finding what works to ease your stress is an important component of university, as it can be a stressful time in your life—not just due to your courses, but because university is an intense time of self-discovery and the first time many of us are living on our own and in control of taking care of ourselves.

I feel incredibly grateful to live in a part of the world where I have access to the most beautiful scenes: an incredible waterfront, too many beaches to count, and sunshine almost every day. I’m incredibly grateful this city has given me the best of friends, ones who will make time to run around the city or a beach with me whenever we get the chance.

So care for yourself, and care for the people around you. Take time to explore and appreciate the small things in life—and everything this little city has to offer. Revel at sunsets and squeal at cute sea creatures. Make every second count and don’t sweat the small stuff. Smile more and stress less. You’ll be happy you did.