Internet Checkpoint!

Hello! You have reached an internet checkpoint :3 This is a place for you to rest your weary head and use some time to check-in with yourself and where you're at in the current moment. It's always good to remember to care for yourself; please take some time to give yourself some much deserved attention ♡

Before we start anything, rest your eyes. I'm sure you've been looking at a screen for much longer than you should be, so give your eyes a little break! You can follow the 20-20-20 rule (after 20 minutes of looking at something close to you, find something 20 feet away and stare at it for 20 seconds), but even just closing your eyes for a few minute is good, too. You can take a break for as long as you would like, just try to make it at least 30 second of not focusing on your screen. Also, remember to blink! If you're quite focused on something you might end up not blinking as much as you normally would which can lead to your eyes getting a drier than normal.

Now that you've given your eyes a bit of a reprieve, it's time to take stock of anything you might be feeling.

Are you:

Hungry? How long has it been since you last ate? If it's been a while, it might be time to have a meal! If it hasn't been too long (or if it's not an appropriate time for a full meal) a snack would be just as well. Even something small like a handful of crackers or a piece of fruit would be alright; anything is better than nothing. If you're diabetic, maybe check your blood sugar, too.

Thirsty? It's easy to forget to drink anything if you're absorbed in working on something, so please remember to stay hydrated! Get a nice glass of water (whatever temperature you enjoy) and drink it, then refill your glass and bring it with you to remember to drink more. Or if you're not a fan of water, you can get some juice, tea, coffee...anything you want!

Medicated? Do you have medicine(s) you need to take? If you do, please remember to take them!

Tense? I know you probably are without really realizing it; ease the tension in your body. Unclench your jaw; drop your shoulders; if you're holding a phone, see how hard you're gripping it. It's easy to become tense throughout the day in small increments that you don't notice over time, so try to remember to check in every one in a while.

Sitting? How long have you been in the same position? If it's been a while, take a few moments to reposition yourself and check your posture. Are you craning your neck, bending over too far, crossing your legs? If so, straighten up as much as you comfortably can and stretch out your legs. If you absolutely can't do this, even moving just slightly is better than remaining in the same position for too long. Now, if you can manage it, do some gentle stretching. Nothing too intense; even something as rolling your shoulders or standing up and extending your arms is good! It's not good to be curled up for extended periods of time.

Need to go to the bathroom? If you do, go; it's not good to hold it in! This is also a good way to get up and move around a little bit.

Working? Have you been toiling over a project for a long time? If so - and if you can - let yourself take a small break. You've done well up until now and deserve to take some time for yourself; you've earned it.

Tired? What time is where you are? If it's late (whatever you deem late to be) maybe it's time to shut things off and get ready to rest. If you find it hard to sleep, don't fret too much; studies have showed that even just laying down and trying to sleep is effective for your body to rest. It's hard to get out of the anxiety cycle of being worried about not sleeping, so I hope this can ease some of your worries

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Sources will go here as I add to this page!