Oxford defines self-care as 

The practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health.

The practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.

Self-care has become this buzzword to mean anything from splurging on new clothes, eating beautifully arranged acai bowls and getting a Mani-Pedii every week. While I’m not going to tell people what to do with their time or money I am going to share what I believe self- care really looks like

No bath bombs required

Self-care looks like:

Going to therapy

Healing

Removing toxic people from your life

Getting a new job

Creating a routine

Asking for a raise

Having sex

Masturbating

Setting up a budget

Exercising regularly

Cutting back on drinking

Meal prepping

Forgiving yourself

Social media breaks

Tracking water intake

meditating

journaling

Making new and better friends

Taking naps

Going to bed earlier

Learning a new skill

Mindful eating

Spending time alone

Saying yes to new things

Say no to shit you hate

Reading more

Being patient with yourself

Appreciating your growth

Taking vitamins

Taking a day off from work just because

Drinking less coffee

Drinking more tea

Rewarding yourself

 

 

Self-care look like doing the work on self for self.  Self- care can be hard, ugly and very unglamorous. It looks like parenting yourself and making choices for your long-term wellness.  Brianna Wiest wrote a piece for Thought Catalog that I think does a great job of explaining the work that goes into Self-care.

 

In order to get to a place where you can peacefully soak in a fresh flower bath, you need to have peace in your life. Self- care are the steps you take to ensure that you are living your best life. The goal is to live a life you don’t need escaping from.

 

With love,

Dani