Self-care #SereneSeptember

Self-care is a buzzword I hear often at work. The literal translation from the dictionary is “care of the self without medical or other professional consultation“.

Stress is one of many factors that can bring about one seeking self-care. Stress can be good or bad. Either way- our brains are wired to seek healing for this stress.

Today I attended a seminar given by Angie Jones, LCSW. The topic was all about caring for yourself. The biggest takeaway I had was about true self-care.

The term ‘self-care’ could be split into two opposite categories: true self-care and false-self care.

False self-care is when you are compromising yourself while trying to reach your goals. While we may think we are caring for ourselves by going out for drinks or treating ourselves to a mani/pedi- this is not necessary what we should be doing to better ourselves. These things are just pushing the issue further back while we distract ourselves with temporary joys.

We all hope we don’t reach the point where will have to make sacrifices for our self-care, but false self-care will undoubtedly bring this about.

On the other hand, true self-care is when we are doing the necessary things to put us back on track to reach our goals.

Angie suggested that to properly start the process of self-care, you need to spend time alone. This is without your phone or other distractions. Being in a space where you can truly think- even if it is only for 5 min- it will make a huge difference. This time alone has to be non-judgmental; simply an honest assessment of where you stand, where you want to be, and the right course to get there.   

Be intentional. This time is set aside for a purpose.

Many participate in true self-care when they find themselves burnt-out, but it is more than this. Ultimately, self-care is a full time job.

It would be easy to list off things that help people personally with their self-care, but self-care is something different for everyone because we are all wired differently. You have to figure out what works for you on a daily basis. This honest place is where you can truly find deep lasting joy.