Defining “Self-Care”

For most of us, the phrase “self-care,” brings up images of things like washing our hair, brushing our teeth, shaving, or getting enough exercise and rest. Basically, we think of all the things we can do that are considered taking care of self; most often, taking care of our body.

But we must broaden the horizon of self-care because it can be so much more than what it is on the surface. It goes beyond our bodies, beyond our actions, and beyond anything superficial. So understanding all that it is and applying that knowledge, is definitely something worth doing as we strive to live life with more positivity.

Self-Care is a verb (what you do) AND a noun (what you value)

It’s not just about what you do. The phrase self-care is so much more than our actions (verb). It can also be thought of as a noun—as both caring for self (actions a person does) and caring about self (the value or care a person has for themselves). The question is, do you care about yourself? Moreover, do you care enough about yourself to take better care of yourself? In other words, do you have self-care to do self-care?

Self-esteem can play a big role here. Low self-esteem can lead to a vicious cycle of lower self-care, poorer health, and poorer well-being.

Self-Care is about your whole self

It’s not just about our body. Things like proper hygiene, grooming, and a healthy lifestyle only scratch the surface when it comes to a complete self-care routine. It goes beyond what we can see in the mirror or the results of our vital signs at the doctor’s office. The question is, what are you doing to take care of your mind and soul? Do you need to introduce more things like work-life-balance, yoga, meditation, prayer, and nature into your life? These should also be considered as part of our self-care routine.

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