do we have the wrong definition or what?

The concept of self-care has evolved over time, and with the rise of social media, it has taken on a new “personality.” Initially introduced as a positive practice, self-care, unfortunately, has now been reduced to just trends and activities that have nothing to do with true self-care. It’s important to recognize that self-care isn’t a bad thing, but the way how it is percieved is. In this blog post, I will be discussing what I believe self-care is, highlighting the importance of taking care of both the external and internal aspects of ourselves.

Re-thinking Self care

When self-care was introduced as a trend I feel like that’s when it became more of a negative thing to do. Self care in itself is not bad, it’s kind of how you go about it. There is nothing inherently wrong with these activities, but they represent only a fraction of what self-care truly entails. What social media and what society portrays self-care as is doing face masks, doing your nails, and getting nice clothes. And nothing’s wrong with any of that but it is also important to focus on the inward aspect of it. Self-care is not just about physical appearance alone.

Self-Awareness

Self-care is more than just taking care of your outward self, it’s also taking care of your inward self. I feel that because social media and society places such a big focus on self-care being the physical appearance, it just changes the whole meaning of self care. Self-care is so much more than that. One of the main and most important aspects of self-care is self-awareness. It’s educating yourself in the right way, it’s listening to your body, it’s protecting your energy, protecting your peace, watching what you listen to, being careful of who you hang around and tell things to. Those are all aspects of self-care because it also contributes to how you listen to your body when it tells you what is good for you and what isn’t, whether it’s choosing the right kind of exercise, following a balanced diet, or getting the proper amount of sleep needed for you. Self-care is not just shaving and exfoliating, it is much more than that.

 In today’s society, it’s easy to get caught up in negativity and stress. Practicing self-care means setting boundaries, both in terms of relationships and activities. It’s about surrounding yourself with positive influences and limiting exposure to toxic people or situations. 

True self-care emphasizes the importance of self-compassion and self-acceptance. It’s about acknowledging your worth and treating yourself with kindness and respect. This means letting go of too much self-criticism and embracing your imperfections. When you treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding that you would show to a friend, you create a nurturing environment for personal growth and happiness. At the end of the day, you are a person too. 

Self-Care is an individual practice

The influence of social media has led many to believe that self-care is the same as beautifying yourself. However, the true meaning of self-care goes far beyond the surface. It is a wide range of practices that take care of your mental, emotional, and physical health. Recognizing and understanding this deeper meaning of self-care is important to fostering genuine well-being.

What’s self care for one person is not necessarily self care for you. Some people say that journaling is also an aspect of self care. For me journaling does nothing sometimes. I could Journal my feelings out for hours and feel better afterwards but the previous feeling sometimes returns. Self-care is not this one size fits all thing.  Self care for one person could just be waking up earlier and practicing gratitude. Self-care for another person could be working out and maybe even just sitting there and observing how they’re feeling. 

Authenticity > Trends

At the end of the day, who are you really trying to impress? Are you doing it because of a trend or are you actually working to take care of yourself? It is so much more than what you see on tiktok and Tumblr. It’s working for yourself and listening to your body. Self-care is not just your physical appearance, but how you take care of what’s inside.

Self-care is an important journey that helps someone discover the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of themselves. By redefining self-care beyond trending topics and practices, we motivate ourselves to embrace our own personal practice of taking care of both our external and internal selves.