Signs That You Probably Interpreted Self-Care Wrong!

📸 Feeh Costa

Self-care has become trendy. The hype around it has changed the meaning and true intent of the term. Some top executives or marketing gurus see it as a chance to sell. The idea of self-awareness is being wrapped with so many attractive words to sell products in the wellness world.

Self-care is not a magic bullet to solve all of your problems.

I am all for looking after ourselves, but the problem is we get entitled to take more time out than we should. The danger we forget we exist in a world that we can never control.

"Modern self-care is often touted as pampering yourself to escape the chaos of everyday life. Like I did, many people who feel anxious or become anxious due to everyday life look into self-care ideas as an escape from how they currently feel."

Yes, it might help, but it is a temporary fix. People self-care through take-away, secluding themselves (like the world will disappear), or taking a walk. All these ideas will make you feel temporarily pleased, not free of anxiety. When taken too far, self-care can enable you to lose the ability to deal with situations head-on and address the real problem.

You cannot pamper yourself out of anxiety!

Self-care is intentional, looking at how you got there and how you can best move forward. If you know what knocks you down, it betters your sense of self. That way, you can deal with problems better when they arise. Let us break the misconception that self-care is synonymous with self-indulgence or being selfish.

Several organizations and researchers take a health-oriented approach when defining self-care. The World Health Organization defines self-care as the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.

According to this definition, self-care includes everything related to staying physically healthy — including hygiene, nutrition, and seeking medical care when needed. It is the steps an individual take to manage stressors and take care of health and well-being.

Do not believe the hashtags. Self-care is not a modern luxury – it is a radical act with a long history. Nicole Stamp

I was reading an article by Deanna Zandt, who introduced the term self-soothing. It got me thinking that many people confuse self-care with self-soothing. Self-soothing is an extension of activities that provide comfort during tough times, time off responsibilities and accountability. It is vital for self-wellness but very temporary.

It is more of self-soothing, not self-care!

Self-care is about finding meaning and the support you need to grow. Find your footing, stay grounded to navigate your way. It describes a conscious act one takes to care of your mind: physical care, social care, mental care, spiritual care, and emotional care.

Let us consistently build healthy habits, not simply improving and treating ourselves.

Here are ten ways to exercise self-care and take better care of yourself:

•  Self-care means knowing who you are and your limits. Self-care means recognizing when you are doing more than you are used to handling and figuring out what you can do to slow down.

•  Self-care means getting the sleep you need and knowing how to rest. Make an effort and know resting is essential for your body and your mind.

•  Self-care means making sure that you are well-fed. ? Self-care means integrating favourite healthy foods into your everyday eating routines and planning to ensure you have adequate nutrition throughout your day.

• Self-care means finding a way to decompress throughout your day, not just when you leave work. The brain needs pauses; try to integrate mini-breaks throughout the day to refresh your mind and body.

• Self-care means giving some thought to changing a difficult work situation. We know best what we need and what we can handle. Is there anything that you can do to make your work somewhat less stressful? 

• Self-care means taking time to get to know you better. Self-care means learning to recognize your temperament and trying to prepare for your limits.

• Self-care means identifying what you enjoy doing and what is fun for you. Make it a habit to plan something to look forward to every day, and that does not have to be complicated. 

• Self-care means feeding your spiritual self. That might take the form of meditating, praying, communing with nature by a walk in a park, observing a sunset or sunrise, practising gratitude, reading or listening to something inspirational.

•  And finally, self-care means taking time to love yourself and appreciating that there is only one you, and you are the expert on that.

 [ Source: Psychology Today]