What is REAL self-care?

"Get you a mani-pedi"

"Light some candles and drink wine girl"

The number of times that I have been told to do surface-level tasks to feel better about myself is innumerable. And I always wondered why I rarely felt a weight lifted after having completed them. It's because they aren't what I needed. I believe consumerism has taken control of the narrative of self-care and ran with it. We now believe that we need to spend money to achieve peace of mind when in actuality peace of mind comes when we choose ourselves. 

So, what is self-care? 

I love this definition from the book 'The Self Care Prescription' By Robyn L. Gobin

"Taking responsibility for your wellbeing in all the important areas of your life.

"Spending dedicated time getting to know who you are and what you need and then committing to giving yourself what you need to be happy, healthy, and fully present with your life.”

It's less about pampering yourself with occasional luxuries and more about checking in with yourself, being aware of where you are unfulfilled, and making choices to fill in the blanks if need be. 

Did you know that there are 

6 Essential Dimensions of Wellness (National Wellness Institute*)

Physical 

Spiritual 

Emotional 

Intellectual

Vocational

Social 

All these boxes need to be checked off for us to feel like our whole selves. I'll dive into these in detail in another blog. Until then have a beautiful day.