THE SUN RESTS TOO

On a mundane evening, I captured this image of the sun setting on the lake in my college town. 

I heard the seagulls fly above me and listened intently to the waves as they crashed on the shore. They were peaceful today. I felt my chest rise and fall, becoming steady as my body reached a period of stillness. Inhale...exhale. My anxieties from earlier that day had vanished when I breathed in the cold, fresh air, renewed and restored. 

Moments like these may look different for all of us, depending on our unique personalities, passions, spiritual practices, and most cherished hobbies. To not only initiatechange but preserve positive and healthy well-being, one must integrate self-care and what brings the most joy into their daily life. This is necessary to foster healing and evolve. 

My journey managing stress and utilizing self-care was a complex road. For many years, I saw the negative effects of perfectionism and anxiety manifested through psychosomatic symptoms. I witnessed the most progress in my mental health when I incorporated self-care into my daily routine through prayer, yoga, music, running, reading, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. 

As students, we can appreciate what is accessible to us, simple encounters with nature. Looking up to the sky, we can see that we are never alone. The sun brings light to the world. It embraces us as we awake and comforts us at the end of each day. The sun reappears even on the darkest, most cloudy, and rainy days. It is the sun’s greatest purpose, the grandest of gestures. The sun has one of the most significant and vital jobs. 

Yet, the sun rests too. 

Like the sun, we can radiate warmth and shine on those around us. We can transform the world! I realized that if the sun rests, we should too.

Blog written by:

Winner of The 1st National Self Care Day Blog Competition 4/5/2025

Clare Krzykala

Clare Krzykala (24) is a graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Clare completed her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, and Law and Social Thought at the University of Toledo in Ohio. Clare has experience working in several settings, most recently as a Behavioral Health Specialist in the Emergency Department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She is currently a Care Advocate at Rogers Behavioral Health and is completingn her internship at Children’s Wisconsin. Clare specializes in working with children and adolescents and aspires to pursue a Ph.D. in the future.