When you hear “self-care,” you probably think of candles, face masks, bath bombs, and expensive massages. While those things can be nice and relaxing to treat yourself, real self-care is far more boring. Self-care that actually improves your life is doing the things you don’t want to do because it will make “Future You” proud.
Want to try real self-care? Here’s what to focus on:
- Boundary Self-Care: Stop being there for those who only show up when they want something. Or don’t answer the call when you’re already at your limit. It’s okay for someone to be a little disappointed in you for you not to feel fully burnt out.
- Body Self-Care: Physical self-care isn’t about bubble baths. Treat sleep like it’s non-negotiable and move your body every day while you can. Fuel your body with real food to stay energized in all aspects of life.
- Mind Self-Care: Mental self-care can be out of our comfort zones. When you catch yourself scrolling to avoid your own thoughts, taking care of your mind means making yourself stop scrolling. Instead of keeping track of everything in your head, practice journaling, meditating, and writing down lists.
- Life-Admin Self-Care: Book the appointment, refill the prescription, pay the bill, and do any other tedious tasks to take care of yourself.
Source: Vice