The Lies Of Self Care
I was talking to someone just the other day, and I asked them, “What are you doing to take care of you?”
She responded, “I went shopping and got my nails done.”
And I got thinking about self care.
Self care isn’t getting manis and pedis. (Although they can be apart of it)
Self care is doing things that serve your higher future self.
Sometimes its doing the uncomfortable thing and speaking up.
Or having your own back, and doing the thing you said you were going to do. Like going to the gym, or writing the paper you said you were going to write.
Self care is getting up and getting to work. Doing the hard things that need to be done because you love yourself now, and you're showing love to yourself in the future.
It’s doing the thoughtwork to solve a problem, it’s learning to process the big emotions others try to avoid.
Self care is dropping into your physical and emotional true self and tuning into what your needs are and being aware enough to give yourself the thing you desire.
Self care is creating a space for you to discover what your true desires are. In that space we listen to our real and raw, divine truths. We stop, we listen, and tune in.
And sometimes self care is a manicure. But the WHY behind it, that is the part that is the self care.
It’s creating time and space for yourself to increase your awareness of our self and our body. Giving yourself love and time.
That is why a manicure CAN be self care, but self care isn’t getting a manicure.
Self care can look as simple as sitting in your room for five minutes with a big emotion. You, your bed and a feeling of sadness, or disappointment. Creating a space for you to breathe in that truth. That is self care.
Or it can look like you speaking your truth to someone and feeling uncomfortable. Where you are doing something hard but doing it because it serves your future self to do it. And then you have your own back.
It can look like going to bed early because you're emotionally and physically exhausted.
It can look like you brushing your teeth at night and giving yourself a little pep talk in the mirror.
It can look like you leaving work for a moment and taking a walk, just to feel sunshine on your face.
Self care is instead of running errands right through lunch. You make yourself the priority.
Self care isn’t shopping, nails and baths.
Self care is when we tune into our emotional and physical needs and do the hard thing to serve our higher self.
Self care is doing the thing you said you were going to do, just to have your own back.
I think our image of self care has been altered. We fuss over this pampering visions. But I’ve come to understand self care in a beautifully deep way.
As we create a space for ourself to discover our true, authentic desires so we can build that true deep connection with ourself and be able to love ourself and our families in a powerful way.
Self care is an avenue of true inner connection. It is a space of safety, love and compassion where when we fill that “cup” it overflows into every part of our life. Our cup runneth over, and love and compassion abounds.
