How Do You Self-Care?

The wellness world loves to spoon feed us ways to “better” ourselves like a baby curious and willing to explore and try new foods. Do this, don’t do that. Buy this, you need that. Add more of this, cut out that. It’s all hot tips, must-have products, big fads, ace advice — preach, preach, preach. While we know that much of the wellness industry leans, perhaps, a little pretentious, along with capitalizing off of our insecurities with giant dollar signs in its eyes (the heath and wellness industry is currently worth $4.2 trillion according to Medium), there are also some really great practices that you can find while digging through the supplement and celery juice trenches. One of those things that we have to thank the wellness evangelists for bringing to our attention is the awareness and importance of self-care. It seems most of us have a tendency to keep going and going much like that pink bunny in sunglasses that bangs its oversized drum. Taking time for oneself, however, can work wonders for the mind, body, and soul, and when practiced on a regular basis, can help you get back to go-go-going with a calm and centered headspace. For some, it’s about getting zen: meditation, reiki, feng shui, reading your birth chart, the enneagram, and all the other spiritual practices. For others, it’s very necessary self-indulgence: massages, mani-pedis, acupuncture, a glass of wine to cap the evening, listening to Lizzo, or getting lost in a good book. It can be as simple as treating yourself to that extra scoop of ice cream, meal prepping for the week ahead, or investing in that new pair of shoes that you don’t need, but really want. It can also be more complex, wrapped into ideas surrounding identity and self-worth and hard emotions.

Because self-care can be all of the things and everything in between, we want to know: how do you do it? And, how do you know when it’s time to amp it up a little more frequently in the name of sanity? Let’s create a lengthy list of recommendations in the comments section below in celebration of saying “yes” to ourselves and to spark some new ideas to cultivate our own version of happiness. What does self-care look like for you?