Self care is an unbeautiful thing

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about self-care – or should I say the thing we think as ‘self-care’.

My friend Adam called the other night and I had just finished working out, had my Invisalign in and had leave in conditioner all over my hair. The image you have in your head right now – make it ten times worse. Got it? Yep.

That is what answered the video call.

We both laughed and then I reminded him that self-care isn’t a beautiful thing. And honestly, none of that that answered the call was beautiful.

When we think selfcare we tend to think about bubble baths, a delicious piece of cake and painting nails. Maybe we might think about a yoga session?

This exact thing is the massive difference of what it self-care is and what social media deemed it to be.

Self-care is taking care of your own needs – every single part of it and for the most part – none of this is super Instagramable.

It’s taking responsibility for yourself and your life.
It’s setting rituals and habits that support the life I want.

It’s making a spreadsheet of my finances for my financial future. (So unsexy, am I right?)

It’s the 6am alarm and enforcing a morning routine.

It’s cooking a healthy meal when I just want the burger from UberEats.

Self-care is also one of the ugliest things we need to do.
It’s sweating through another workout.
It’s ending toxic relationships. It’s having uncomfortable conversations. It’s managing your mental health.

At the core of all of this is figuring out where you are and helping yourself move to where you want.

It is truly caring about every part of your life – not the treat yo’ self moments. (Also that episode of Parks and Rec. Come on.)

Self-care at its core is developing a life for yourself that you don’t need to escape from and that often takes doing the least things you don’t want to do.

As we go into 2022 (cause honestly thank goodness this year is done) I think we need to ask ourselves if the habits and rituals we have for ourselves are making us move towards the things we want or moving away from them.