What Self-Care Isn’t
I recently blogged about self-care (Take Care of You First) for National Self-Care Day (July 24) and it made me really pay attention to what is and isn’t self-care. It refers to the practice of taking intentional actions to promote one's own physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Self-care activities are designed to reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance overall quality of life.
I am all about self-care!
So how do I do this?
Well, according to the advertisements and influencers on the InstaSnapFaceTok, I should probably go to an expensive spa in a remote location and basically live a completely different life for a weekend. That should solve all my problems and then I can get back to my regularly scheduled life.
NO. That is not self-care.
Self-care isn’t more expensive than you can easily afford.
Watch your wallet. Someone is selling you something. Whether it’s a lifestyle or a specific service, that post or ad or article is there to sell you something. And it might be something genuinely wonderful. But is it going to accomplish what you’re looking for? Chances are, if it’s a quick fix to an ongoing problem, it is actually too good to be true. Make sure to spend the time and money that you can afford to spend. If you overspend, you’ll end up more stressed and less comfortable than before that indulgence. (Stay tuned for a future blog full of FREE self-care tips.)
Self-care isn’t easy or quick.
Self-care means making mindful choices about sleep, nutrition, communication, and other elements of stress management. In order to make real and lasting change, and to really center yourself in your life, these behavioral choices need to become a part of your daily habits. No matter how great the weekend away, it alone won’t change your relationship to stress in an ongoing way.
Self-care isn’t luxury.
This concept of self-care as a beautiful luxury spa vacation has led to a lot of confusion for people. I’ve seen memes and jokes that indicate things like going to the dentist or getting a shower are now luxurious self-care indulgences. Self-care does mean things like hygiene, regular healthcare, and other daily and regular activities that enhance our lives… but the framing is important. The key to self-care is making YOU a central part of your every day. You aren’t taking time away from work, family, or your regular life to take care of you, you just do it as an important part of our life. You need to be a focus in your life.
Self-care isn’t removed from our “real life”.
A spa weekend sounds great. Vacations are fantastic for changing our perspective on our daily lives. Being pampered feels nice and will most likely be relaxing. Human touch is so good for us. Taking time to intentionally relax and focus on our own self is fantastic. Vacations, spas, massages, pedicures and all these things are great and can be part of a self-care routine. But most of our self-care should be integrated into our regular daily routines and habits.
Self-care isn’t only for others.
You are important. You are valuable. You need to take care of yourself. It isn’t always easy to know how to take care of yourself and it’s ok to constantly be on the search for new and better ways to take care of you. Remember, self-care is not selfish; it's a necessary part of maintaining your well-being and being able to show up as your best self in all aspects of life. Customize your self-care routine to fit your individual needs and make it a priority in your daily life.
