We’re practicing self-care all wrong
If you’ve followed me on Instagram lately you’ll know that I have jumped full force onto the self-care bandwagon. Snuggling in front of the tree, bubble baths, long walks outside, you name it.
And I’m not alone.
“Put your own oxygen mask on before helping others.”
“Treat yo-self.”
“Self-care isn’t selfish.”
It seems like everywhere on the internet people are talking about self-care and how good it is for you. It’s touted as being key to a healthy, happy, life with everyone from celebrities to your local yoga instructor having their go-to routines.
And there is good reason for it.
Self-care is any action a person might take in order to reach optimal physical, mental, and emotional health. So by definition, it’s a critical component of a person’s health and happiness.
The thing is, most of us aren’t doing it on a regular basis. Self-care is almost becoming a meaningless buzzword – one of those things we should do, but realistically never will.
Truthfully, the reason I’ve been practicing so much self-care lately is because I’ve been in recovery mode. A few weeks ago I found myself in a space where I was overcommitted and working much too late into the night (I briefly convinced myself that I missed drinking Redbull and working till 3 am like in college).
I had completely stopped practicing any and all self-care and not shockingly was burnt out and exhausted.
As I’ve been recovering and making lots of extra time for self-care, I’ve also made a new commitment.
Self-care shouldn’t be something we do once a month or only when we’re in recovery mode. Putting ourselves first is a constant, every day priority. Yes, I’m committing to practicing self-care in some small way, every single day.
But what does that look like? I don’t exactly have time to take a bubble bath and paint my nails every single night.
Yet if you browse through images and stories of self-care on social media, you’re likely to only see pictures of manicures, massages, bubble baths, and latte art in quaint coffee shops.
Who has time for that on a daily basis?
Which has me thinking that the problem isn’t that we don’t practice self-care, rather it’s how we’re practicing it.
While less Instagrammable, self-care also means taking long showers, feeding ourselves nourishing foods, getting 8 hours of sleep, putting on clothes we feel confident in, and exercising to feel good, not because we should.
We talk about self-care being important, but only celebrate the glamorous side of it.
But what about the weeks where you have multiple deadlines at work and events scheduled every night? What about when you travel back home for the holidays and the thought of alone time is laughable? Or those weeks when you’re just feeling down, questioning your life choices and how successful you are?
On those days, you don’t have time for a long bubble bath, and it wouldn’t fix everything even if you did.
How does self-care fit in there?
I think it’s time we celebrate and commit to daily self-care, the unglamorous kind.
Some ideas I’ve come up with so far:
- Skipping the gym to sleep in for an extra hour
- Scheduling the doctor’s appointment I’ve been putting off forever
- Opening the blinds and tidying up my workspace
- Savoring my 10 minutes in the morning before I have to get going
- Getting the oil in my car changed because dammit, I’m a functioning adult
- Choosing to go for a run because I know it will make me feel better, even though it may be the last thing I want to do
- Taking 3 deep breaths and smiling before I get out of bed in the morning
- Picking up a cupcake from the cute shop on the corner, just because
- Unscheduling unnecessary commitments
- Deep cleaning my closet and getting rid of the clothes I never wear but have been hanging onto for when I’m thinner, more active, more successful, etc., etc.
- Actually using my foam roller
- Declining yet another holiday party invite and staying in for some quality downtime with my hubs
- Putting delicious smelling lotion on my hands
- Choosing salad over pizza. Or sometimes choosing pizza over salad
- Asking for help
- Pouring myself an extra large glass of water
Don’t get me wrong, I will ALWAYS love a good massage or a day at the spa.
But for me, I’m realizing that self-care needs to be an everyday act, not just something I do when I’m in a good mood and looking to treat myself. I believe in choosing to show myself love every single day so that I can show up as my healthiest, happiest, highest functioning self.
What does your daily self-care look like? Let me know in the comments below!
to your health and happiness,
Julia
P.S. Don’t forget! The LBD Project Holiday Challenge is starting THIS SATURDAY! We’re going to be practicing plenty of self-care and more to get you through the holidays. I think you’re going to love it and I want to see you there! Sign up here.
