he term ‘Self-Care’ is thrown around like confetti these days. But what does it really mean? What is this concept of self-care and why do we need to care?
Put pretty simply, self-care activities are really just those things we do to take care of our mental, emotional, spiritual, sexual, social and physical health. Self-care is how we nourish those aspects of our well-being.
But, as with most things these days, we are bombarded with superficial information about it. All we see are the posts that tell us self-care is all the simplistic stuff – the bubble baths, the morning stretch, the walk on the beach. The problem is, that we aren’t told WHY these seemingly simple activities should be part of our self-care toolkit. Why they do actually matter.
Which is why a lot of people don’t bother with them. Instead we keep seeking more and more because how the fuck could taking a bath with a sprinkle of Epsom salts fix the deep seeded emotional turmoil in our lives.
So, I’m here to answer that question.
And it comes down to the fact that us as humans over complicate things. We forget that the small steps still take us to the same destination as the big jumps. We forget that small moments of happiness and calm, repeated and evolved, will equate to much deeper levels of overall happiness and peace over time. We don’t trust that something so easy could in fact have such a big impact. But it can.
Don’t look at a bubble bath as ‘just a bath’. Look at it as a small moment in time taken out of the day to day that is just for you. Time to tune into your body, to still your mind, to calm your nerves, to breathe and just be. This practice of grounding is learnt through the simple activities and can be transferred into every day life and everyday situations of stress or anxiety.
Yes, we need to look deeper. No, motivational quotes aren’t enough. Yes, an understanding of WHY we feel the way we do at different times of our life is important. No, a simple bath won’t change your life… but it will help! Simple steps, self-care and an understanding of what it all means and how it all affects you, is key.
So, don’t disregard your self-care. Don’t push those little sentiments to the side in your search for something more because you won’t find it without the simple stuff.
Self-care is the first step. Don’t be afraid to take it.
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By Lahnee Pavlovich (Sex Educator & Wellness Coach)
