MUCH HAS BEEN made of the term ‘self-care’ in recent months, or more specifically, the conflicting interpretations of it.

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A quick scroll through Instagram on any given day might suggest that self-care is synonymous with pancakes, pistachio topping and pitchers of Pimms.

Other platforms act as a reminder that self-care can be coaxing yourself to clean your teeth, comb your hair and change your underwear.

Some people fear that the term has become little more than a guise for over-indulgent pampering; that it has essentially been hijacked by anyone who feels like kicking up their heels and giving themselves the day off.

Others are cognisant of the fact that the self-care hashtag can appear to ring a little hollow at times, but ultimately accept that self-care truly is different for everyone, depending on the individual’s mental wellness, health-related priorities and approach to relaxation.

And more are in the business of policing the term, entirely.

The truth of the matter is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution when it comes to self-care.

In some circumstances, self-care certainly is forcing yourself to brush your teeth when every fibre of your being wants them to remain unbrushed – as they may have stayed for the previous three days – such is the effort of tending to personal hygiene.

In other circumstances, self-care can certainly mean meeting friends and allowing yourself to relax and indulge after what may have been an exceptionally tense period in your life.

We are, on a daily basis, inundated with reminders to take a step back, quiet the din of our overworked minds, and devote time to nothing else but ourselves and our well-being.

From meditation and mindfulness to journalling and exercise; there is apparently no shortage of the ways we can do this, and yet a quick survey of my peers indicates that what works for some certainly doesn’t work for others. 

Let’s go one further, and compare self-care to physical exercise for a moment.

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A person in relatively good physical shape will have moved beyond an exercise programme which requires them to lift nothing more than a 3kg dumbbell a mere five times per set.

For a person in poor physical shape, however, that exercise is the first step, it is required in order to progress, and it will ultimately have an effect in the long-term.

Simply put, these people are at different stages, hitting different milestones, so they need different things.

Depending on a person’s health and physical condition, exercise will have varying effects; the same goes for self-care, and the various ways you can employ it.

Tending to personal hygiene is undoubtedly a method of self-care if you know that it tends to falls by the wayside during periods of anxiety or depression.

Similarly, socialising is a method of self-care if your inclination is to avoid interaction during periods of anxiety, despite knowing that isolation only further exacerbates the problem.

And anything in between can be considered self-care depending on an individual’s personal path in life; and needing to do one over the other doesn’t render either more or less important.

Once more for the cheap seats in the back: anything that serves you and your well-being in a positive manner is a method of self-care.

Self care may be unique and it may be subject to change, but it shouldn’t be subject to debate.

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