It’s time to de-bunk some misconceptions and myths about self-care and have a better understanding of what is Real Self-Care.

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Wherever we go, whatever we read, we see and hear the word “Self-care” being mentioned and discussed often on social media, in magazines and on forums - you name it.

Self-care is being mostly defined as a product or a treat you can buy such as a body massage, a day in the spa, a facial, a scented candle to help you relax, a work-out or a stretch class, and the list goes on and on.

Self-care has been commercialised and packaged to be sold as a product. A quick fix. Buy this and you will instantly feel better and your problems will be solved. In our quick fix instant gratification and busy culture, this kind of self-care will always be appealing and tempting to buy into.

When people do, they will often experience a buyer’s remorse, because this kind of self-care is superficial, its results are short-lived. It doesn’t truly deliver on the promises it’s made nor it tries to solve the real underlying issues that’s impacting our mental and physical well-being.

Furthermore, this consumeristic and over-simplified concept of self-care restrict and even damage the potency of self-care. Countering those misunderstandings is necessary to access the full potential of self-care. Many widely held conceptions of self-care are limited, superficial, and sometimes simply wrong. Suggested practices can be overly simplistic to the point of drastically diminishing the essential nature of self-care. The overuse of self-care as a panacea product creates an obtuse understanding, which leads to ineffective activation.

So let us recognise and be clear on what is Real Self-Care, what does it entail, in order to have a better understanding and be able to access its full potential in order to live better.

Self-care is wholistic and integrated.

Self-care is a wholistic engagement, an integrated practice that fosters well-being, including mental well-being, physical well-being, social well-being, financial well-being, and other.

It is not a product to be purchased, a luxury treat, or a privilege or a quick fix.

Self-care is complex and multifaceted.

Self-care is complex, multifaceted and multidimensional engaging all the different aspects of our human existence: physical, mental/emotional, social, professional, environmental, spiritual, financial, practical and other.

It is meaningful and not superficial.

If you’re suffering from burn-out or on-going stress, the consumeristic and over-simplistic prescription of self-care would advise you to treat yourself for a bubble bath and buy a scented candle to help you to relax. This is not going to properly address your burn-out needs nor help you resolve it.

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Self-care is a process. ‍

Self-care is a long-term process rather than a short-term approach, a checklist or a product. it is proactive prevention and sustainable intervention rather than a constant emergency reaction. It sometimes requires you to dig deep to address the issues and challenges experienced in life in order to be able to live better and enhance the physical and mental well-being.

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“Real Self-care is not a thing to do. It’s a way to be.” - Dr. Pooja Lakshmin MD

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Self-care is an individualised endeavour.

Self-care is personal and is an organic individualised endeavour. There’s is no one-size-fits-all, a generic template or a plan that can be applied to everyone. The self-care process needs to be developed to cater to your individual needs and help you address the underlying issues that need addressing.

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“Real Self-Care is different for everyone because the decisions we make to achieve it are dependent on our personal beliefs and values.” - Dr. Pooja Lakshmin MD

So now we have a better understand of what Real Self-Care is, let us use this knowledge to access the fullest potential of wholistic self-care and dispel the misconceptions and myths. We can begin to practise meaningful and individualised self-care as a process, and embrace this integrated approach of wholistic self-care as essential way of living that will not just sustain us during the crisis but generate exponential possibilities for sustainable change.

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Author: Dalia El Zeinaty - Founder of Wellness Pilates

Photo by Jackson David on Unsplash

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