What even is self care?

After publishing my last post, I quickly realised that I had started a whole blog around self care without actually mentioning what self care is. Or what it isn’t. So here is the post that probably should have been my first.

So, what is self care?

Self care is any activity we do to take care of our health. And, that health can be our mental, physical or emotional health – self care is not limited to just one type of activity, or just one type of benefit.

While that may sound like a simple concept, self care can quite easily become something we overlook. Whether that’s because we’re already struggling, or because we feel like we don’t have time, or even because we don’t know what our self care looks like for us.

And, what isn’t self care?

While some of us might have to plan and remember our self care plans, they shouldn’t be something we have to force or bribe ourselves to do. While some of our self care might feel awkward or annoying sometimes, they shouldn’t be anything we actively dislike or hate.

Because as Agnes Wainman once explained, self-care is “something that refuels us, rather than takes from us”.

And remember, self care is not a selfish act. It might feel like it to begin with because you’re actively giving yourself time and space for yourself and no one else. But it’s not.

Self care isn’t just about considering our needs, instead it is about knowing what we need to do in order to take care of ourselves, and then, being subsequently able to take care of others as well.

I like to think about it in terms of cups and water personally (probably because I’m a bit odd, ha!). I cannot fill up someone else’s cup with water if my own cup of water is empty. Instead, I’d have to go to the tap to refill my cup of water before I am able to offer them some of my water. And that to me, is self care.

So I guess to summarise, for me, self care is the key to living a balanced and well life.

But what about you? What do you class as self care? I’d love to hear, so please do let me know in the comments below!

ps. I am not a mental health or medical professional. Please do not use my blog instead of these services, and do reach out to your GP/doctor if you’d like support.

Remember that there are also organisations such as Samaritans (116 123) if you are also UK based and would like someone to listen.

And photo by Davies Designs Studio on Unsplash.