Self-care: what it is and what it's not

Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash

Most of us think of self care as a reward to ourselves for working hard such as I will buy myself some ice cream because I finished a project or worked hard on a test. At other times, we think of self-care as relaxation such as getting a massage or taking a bubble bath. These are great things to do for ourselves yet self-care is more than that. Self-care is about taking care of our physical, psychological, social and spiritual self. It means scheduling an annual exam with our physician and doing some blood work to ensure we are healthy. It also means taking care of our emotional and psychological self, such as going to therapy to work on things that are causing pain in our life. It also means setting boundaries in our social life and ending toxic relationships. It also means getting our cars serviced so they run well and not let us stranded. Self care also means taking care of our spiritual self. We can do this by meditating, spending time in prayer, or spending time in nature. Self care is taking care of our whole body, mind and soul. So, I challenge you to rethink self-care. How will you take care of yourself today?