What is self care, really?

Self care

self care 

self care. 

We hear this phrase every freaking day. But what does it actually mean? Is it an excuse to treat yo self or is it something more? Why when we practice the instagram self care trends don’t we feel better?

Self care isn’t a new concept, but it’s definitely got a few different and confusing definitions attached to it.

Here’s the thing, self care isn’t about just taking care of the outside. Heck, it isn’t even about any type of outside validation or instant gratification.  

Self care is about what’s happening on your inside. It’s about finding tools to eliminate unnecessary stress.

 It’s about finding calm in the storm of life.

It’s about valuing yourself when the pain of everyday life feels too much.

It’s about stopping, emliniating, and avoiding suffering and finding a way to move through the pain that inevitably comes from living. 

It’s about accepting who you are today and honoring yourself while you move through your life and your goals.

Self care isn’t about buying the best green juice. It’s not about finding that next best purchase, hobby, or money making endeavor. 

Self care is about nurturing yourself in the moment so you can sustain and live a beautiful life regardless of where you are today. Your circumstances today are your life. 

Self love is in the acceptance of who you are. Self care is embracing the work in progress of loving yourself as you are, where you are, who you are. Self care is loving yourself and self care is your choice. 

I have changed my vocabulary around self care and I prefer the term self soothing. 

I am soothing my mind, my body, my spirit. I am practicing to accept where I am in life without worrying about the future or carrying shame about the past. I am choosing to enjoy life and the present moment. 

There is a keyword so many people forget when it comes to self care/self soothing. It’s a practice. It isn’t something to be mastered, it is something to try time and time again bettering yourself and your circumstances in the process. If you’re lucky, self soothing is a daily practice to bring yourself back to center to remember who you really are and love yourself for it. 

What does my self soothing practice look like? 

Self soothing is taking 1 minute to sit in meditation. It’s taking time to remind myself that right now is the only thing guaranteed and I should value myself as much and more than my goals.

It’s taking time to mindfully move through parts of my day, whether that’s setting a timer and playing pretend with my children so we can connect on a deeper level.

It’s using face cream not just to nurture my skin but to be mindfully aware of the beautiful person I am inside and out. 

Self soothing is a practice we can implement in our already existing routines. It’s simply a moment to allow yourself to accept where you are, be in that moment, and love yourself regardless.

 What is your self care like? Leave a comment!