Think of all the hard work you put into maintaining relationships with others and making your everyday life work for you. This can make you feel like you have little time left to pamper yourself. Despite this, the reality is that you deserve relaxation and self-care more often than you realise. If you’re struggling with the idea of showing yourself some care, this is probably why.
You think it’s not a priority
You probably think in the time that you’re putting on a face mask and indulging in a long, hot bath, you could be doing something way more important, right? Wrong! All the times you’ve spent doing all the important things is exactly why you deserve moments to de-stress over some more calming activities, with yourself.
Self-care makes you feel selfish
Is self-care selfish? Absolutely not! Giving yourself to others, your studies or your work without taking
a break is unfair to yourself. Anyone who expects you to go through life without showing yourself appreciation and kindness, is being unfair to you. You’re a human being and you can’t run solely on other people’s second-hand love or fulfilment from outside sources. Setting firm boundaries at work and in relationships is also a form of self-care, even though it can feel selfish. The next time you feel guilty for taking care of yourself, remember this feeling is a normal part of self-care and it’s worth pushing through, even when it feels uncomfortable.
You just don’t know how
It’s possible that you don’t really know how the whole concept of self-care goes, and that’s also okay. And the fact that there are so many definitions to it doesn’t really help the situation. But the whole idea of self-care is to make sure you’re at ease and you’re happy. So, what exactly does that for you? Is it some retail therapy? Maybe cutting down on your social media use
? Is it your favourite meal with friends? Whatever it looks like to you is exactly what you should do. Self-care isn’t a list of to-dos, so don’t treat it like a chore.
You expect it from others
The ‘self’ in self-care isn’t silent. It’s something you have to do for yourself to enjoy comfort and happiness when you need it most. Waiting for others to do it for you, may have you waiting longer than you would’ve liked to. But more than that, your well-being is your responsibility and no one else’s. You have to prioritise it.
Practicing self-care won’t make you seem like anything, except someone who loves themselves enough to take care of themselves. Your self-care journey is about prioritising yourself, and filtering the outside noise so you can focus on yourself. There are so many things you can do as part of your self-care routine- experiment with them until you find what works best for you! What’s your go-to self-care activity? Share it on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
