Myths on self-care
Demystifying myths about self-care
Self-care isn’t about doing your nails or going on a retreat, it can be, but there are so many ways to practice self-care. There are also many myths around self-care and its actual meaning, this means there is major confusion, especially for women who tend to feel extremely guilty about nurturing their own needs. I have women tell me they stumble around feeling drained, exhausted and depleted because they are always on the go and do not navigate time to pause and take care of themselves.
44% of millennials practice self-care.
57% of baby boomers practice self-care.
Within this article I will demystify myths about self-care & identify quick and easy alternative practices to enhance your self-care without the added guilt.
Self-Care is about looking after yourself in order to improve your health and wellbeing. Self-care will be included in the following scenarios and circumstances:
- Minor illnesses, when you experience a cold, the flu, indigestion, back pain, headaches or skin irritations.
- Minor injuries, such as muscle pulls, strains and physical ailments.
- Managing a long-term condition, such as asthma, diabetes, arthritis or high blood pressure.
These three types of physical aliments mean we need to set aside time for rest, regeneration and recuperation. There wasn’t a clear description about self-care that included mental health and wellbeing but I feel this is an important aspect of self-care.
An overwhelming majority of people agree that self-care is strongly connected to taking personal responsibility for one’s health and it’s a really important part of promoting overall health and wellness.
However before we delve into how to include self-care into our life, it’s important to identify some myths about self-care.
- All or nothing.
This approach means taking a whole day out for a spa, pampering yourself, taking yourself shopping or buying yourself something to feel good. Although it is great to pamper yourself, you don’t need to break the bank or set aside a whole day in order to practice self-care.
- Self-care is a luxury.
Self-Care has often been stereotyped as being a luxury. Having time and money to do something will give you self-care but this is incorrect. Yes, you will need to set aside time and money to enjoy a spa break or a holiday, but self-care isn’t associated with money. Self-care isn’t a luxury but a necessity.
- Self-care is unfeminine.
Care-taking is depicted as a women’s role and it doesn’t make sense for a woman to play a supporting role in her own show. If your needs are going unmet, ask yourself who is the main character in your life and would you stick to or change this?
- Self-Care is anything that soothes you.
Self-care isn’t about turning to alcohol, food or binging Netflix shows because they will help you feel good in the moment. These can turn into addictive and become abusive which can lead to being unsupportive to your overall health and wellness.
Instead of giving you a million and one suggestions in how you can practice self-care, I wanted to help you understand that self-care is different for everyone. If you are to look after yourself physically, mentally and emotionally, the solutions which work for you, may not be the answer for someone else. What will work for you will be unique and individual to your needs and your time. It is a good reminder that anything you can do to make you feel good and feel better is considered an act of self-care.
However, here are my personal suggestions on what acts of self-care you may wish to include into your daily, weekly and monthly schedule.
- More than 80 percent of all Americans don’t exercise enough and do not meet the guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. (Source:hhs.gov)
- Individuals who spend more than 120 mins in nature per week have higher levels of both health and well-being than those who reported no exposure.
Women who were recently diagnosed with breast cancer scored higher on several attention tasks, compared to standard care controls, following a five-week period of spending 120 mins per week in ‘natural restorative environment’. (Sources: nature.com)
Self-care means: Get enough exercise to maintain our health, well-being, weight and physical strength.
Self-care awareness can be an opportunity to reconnect with nature more regularly.
- U.S. adults’ use of meditation in the past 12 months tripled from 4.1 percent to 14.2 percent. (Sources: nccih.nih.gov/)
Mediation is a great exercise to reconnect with ourselves and raise our self-awareness.
It is proven to support the brain overcome insomnia, depression and anxiety.
- Satisfactory sexual intercourse for couples lasts from 3 to 13 minutes, contrary to popular fantasy about the need for hours of sexual activity. (Sources: news.psu.edu)
Satisfying intercourse is an important act of self-care as it has a tremendous impact on our well-being.
Frequent orgasms for women effects things such as, mental and relationship factors, sexual desire, sexual self-esteem, and openness of sexual communication with partners. Women valued their partner’s orgasm more than their own. There are also positive determinants that promoted female orgasms they are, the ability to concentrate, mutual sexual initiations, partner’s good sexual techniques, a relationship that felt good, a partnership that worked well emotionally, a relationship where sex was approached openly and appreciatively. (Sources: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Satisfying intercourse creates a high bond between couples.
Self-care can improve your physical health, reduce anxiety and stress, boost your self-esteem and protect your mental health, as well as enhancing relationships with your partner, family members and friends. To recap:
- Look after for yourself and your body: It could be brushing your teeth, taking a warm bath, reading, or exercising the need to getting more sleep at night.
- Spend time in nature: It will reduce your anxiety and stress, this could be something as simple as going out for a walk.
- Practice meditation: Taking moments to care for yourself mentally and physically is very important. Mediation has proven to reduce insomnia, depression and anxiety.
- Cultivate your relationships: This includes initiating some intimate moments with your loved one. Perhaps putting aside sometime to call or have coffee with a friend or family member.
It’s so easy to put someone else’s needs first, but you must fill your own cup up by taking care of your health and wellbeing too!
References: Self-Care Statistics 2021-Fascinating Facts - Healthy Lifestyle Florida Magazine What is self care and why is it important? | Health Matters | BMI Healthcare | BMI Healthcare 7 Damaging Myths About Self-Care (psychcentral.com) What do we mean by self-care Self-care is important why is it so hard to practice https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167212445599 https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/mental-health-problems-introduction/self-care/#.XWkIZShKiUk https://carers.org/taking-care-of-yourself/taking-care-of-yourself
Tulshi Varsani
Tulshi is a highly experienced coach with a passion for supporting both corporate and sporting clients to enhance their wellbeing and performance. She applies research led practices to monitor and test, enabling her clients to achieve long-term growth and development. Tulshi was the first Performance Manager and Coach for the 8x World Championship winning Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Her responsibilities included managing the race team performance-testing and training programs. Including factory wide health & wellbeing initiatives. Tulshi is also a part of the Board of Advisors for a company LTAD. LTAD is a training pathway for young athletes within strength and conditioning.