It’s hard to doubt that self-care is growing in popularity. It’s hard to ignore the marked increase in self-care that’s spreading throughout society, from status updates to news articles. Taking care of yourself was even the most popular app theme in 2018. Although personal development is often a theme in January, Barnes and Noble recently released a report that, for the first time, more people invested in books to improve mental health than in books intended to improve their mental health. follow a diet and physical fitness.
What caused this change?
As a therapist and mental health educator, self-care is not a new term in my world. This concept has always come up quite often in my office and classroom, but I’ve actually noticed that I’m hearing more people than ever talk about self-care beyond those contexts. However, if you’re wondering about self-care and wondering if it’s really important, trust me, you’re not alone. As a self-love enthusiast, it has been an honor to help people whose curiosity has been piqued by the term. Although those with hungry minds have always asked me to improve, I have noticed an increase in the number of people asking:
What’s wrong with self-care?
Do I really need to take care of myself?
I don’t have time for a bubble bath, how will I fit self-care into my busy life?
Why does everyone seem to care all of a sudden?
Can I cancel plans because I need to take care of myself?
…and my new personal favorite
Why is self-care trending?
While I appreciate the opportunity to help others learn and potentially improve their self-care, the last question is my current favorite because it made me stop and question what I believe in about self-care. Is self-care only getting 15 minutes of fame, or is this practice here to stay?
What is self-care?
Before we examine whether self-care is a trend, we need to clarify what self-care entails. Self-care is a holistic process that we all need to promote presence, engagement, well-being and self-love. Self-care is not a single skill. Instead, self-care includes a wide variety of tasks tailored to meet your diverse needs. Although there may be similarities between self-care strategies, self-care is subjective and tends to vary from person to person. So even though yoga may help your friend find balance, that doesn’t mean it will necessarily work for you.
Self-care is an ongoing process of proactively considering and responding to your needs and maintaining your well-being. This ongoing process can be tricky. On the other hand, it is easy to forget to take care of yourself, especially in front of loved ones. In situations where you’re short on energy and time, you might be especially likely to abandon your own needs for the sake of someone else. Over time, this can become dangerous. Additionally, when caring for others, it helps to demonstrate the importance of caring for yourself to set an example and also dissuade them from neglecting themselves.
Neglecting your personal needs can lead to a decline in your well-being and self-esteem. For example, you may notice an increase in anxietydistraction, anger, and fatigue. You may also notice a decrease in sleep, relationship satisfaction, self-love, empathy and compassion. Exhibition continues at stress without proper self-care, you may suffer serious consequences such as depression and heart disease.
Is self-care just a trend?
The increase in popularity may lead us to jump to the conclusion that self-care is just a trend, but the steady increase in popularity over the past few years seems to show no signs of slowing down. According to Gracy Obuchowicz, self-care facilitator, mentor, and coach, this may be because “people are really hungry for knowledge.” We are beginning to recognize that paying attention to our needs can be used to promote well-being. More and more people are openly discussing their mental health issues, creating more opportunities for healing and recovery. Likewise, more people could open their eyes to the importance of mental wellbeing and the practical role self-care plays in maintaining mental health. Perhaps we are starting to value mental health as much as our physical health.
While we can’t predict the future of personal care, we can manage how we practice self-care. If you’re wondering if self-care is just a trend, know that the answer may vary from person to person. If you’re not willing to try to implement your own self-care, copy the habits of people around you without intention, or if you’re not willing to connect to the deeper purpose of self-care , chances are self-care will be a trend for you. Truly embracing self-care is a lifestyle change. If the idea intrigues you and you’re making changes to your routine, this is just the beginning. Self-care is an ongoing process of reflecting on your needs and investing in yourself to be the best version of yourself. So rather than wondering if it’s just a trend, think about how you personally approach the concept. If this really matters to you, it won’t be a passing trend in your life.
