Faux vs. Real Self-Care
There was an article making the internet rounds a few weeks ago about faux vs. real self-care . Faux self-care is any obligation that adds to your stress vs. relieves it. Real self-care is putting your needs first for a moment and doing something to destress. So it’s not the activity that is good or bad, but how it makes you feel.
Rethinking how you take care of yourself can slowly transform your quality of life. And crucially, she adds, as you align your individual choices and actions with your beliefs, you can help improve larger social systems that hold women back.
So if the activity makes you feel good, it’s self-care. If the activity feels like one more thing you must fit into your day or buy, it’s not.
Mostly I loved this article for this thought:
Every time you are in a situation where a boundary might need to be asserted or bent, Dr. Lakshmin suggests taking a pause instead of giving in to a knee-jerk reaction.
I am becoming more and more of a fan of the pause.
Pesach begins tonight, and a holiday feels like a good time to take a few days off to think and breathe and not eat bread. I’m bummed about that last one because I really love bread, but I can give it up for the holiday. I will be back in a few days, but I will skip writing the Roundup because I will read posts late, and then I’ll take a few days to recharge. Back mid-week after some real self-care.
6 comments
Wishing you and your family a happy Passover! I love the revaluation of self care. There are so many things employers are doing to promote “self care” bit often it’s one more thing to do and absolves the company/institution from having to make any real change that would improve things so so much self care isn’t needed. Harrumph… I’m glad you are taking the self care you need and taking those pauses!
I’m also glad you are taking some time off for self-care. And recognising that “self-care” is different for everyone is a really good reminder for us all. I hope you’re having a lovely break. Happy Passover!
So if the activity makes you feel good, it’s self-care. If the activity feels like one more thing you must fit into your day or buy, it’s not.
Hmmm… guess none of my activities meet that definition of self-care. What can one (or maybe I) possibly do that doesn’t qualify as “one more thing you must fit into your day”???
That is personal to each person. What is self care for one person may not be self care for another. So meditation is my self care but that may become one more obligation for another person. People have listed things like, “Make and keep personal boundaries” as self care, and it serves them more than taking a break or a bubble bath.
I hope your Pesach and break were fantastic and/or restful!
I really want to read her book. 🙂