Good morning everyone! Welcome to a slightly belated #membershipmonday!

Before we start, it was great to see the brothers of Section 97 this past weekend for their SLED! Kudos to the Hofstra chapter for hosting. [And if not previously mentioned before, kudos also to St. Anselm's for hosting Section 94's LD Day last week!]

Today we're going to talk about self care. Self care is extremely important to membership, because we can't help anyone else if we can't take care of ourselves first.

Our health, family & friends should always come first, our schoolwork second, and our jobs third (school and work switch places every day as needed). APO is always fourth, as it should never come before those three things.

APO isn't a college major; none of us have degrees in brotherhood. It's important to take a moment to focus on yourself every so often if those first three things need your attention first. This is especially key to preventing burn out and becoming so run down that you get sick (and no one wants that). It's not selfish but necessary to do!

So what can you do to give yourself some care? Well, here are just a few things you can do.

ASK FOR HELP. There's nothing wrong with delegating tasks if need be. If you're feeling overwhelmed, your brothers can help you.

SLEEP. Make sure you get some shuteye. The college struggle is real enough. You don't need to pile on sleep deprivation. Besides, coffee and 5 hour energy can only take you so far.

WATER. Staying hydrated can keep your brain sharp and you from feeling sluggish. Aim for six 8oz. glasses per day.

EXERCISE. Even something as simple as a 10 minute walk will work wonders.

FIND A HOBBY. Try knitting/crocheting, reading, writing, whatever you find makes you happy, go do it.

And finally, don't be afraid to reach out if you need to. Your brothers are here for you and there are resources out there should you wish to seek them. Never forget that you are VALUED, that you MATTER in this world, and that you're LOVED.

And as always, be excellent to each other.

Next week we're going to talk about membership policies and requirements. In the meantime, catch members of the squad at Section 95's LD Day and Section 97/101/102's APO LEADS Day this Saturday!

If you have any questions, comments, or if there's a topic you'd like to see us discuss, please email us at membership@apor1.org. We love hearing from you!

In LFS, YOUR Region 1 Membership Squad