Here’s What Self Care Really Is (4 Tough Love Tips)

By: Alexis M Peters ‘20

At the end of a long day, you might put on a face mask and light a scented candle. Or maybe you draw yourself a bath and pour yourself a cup of tea to de-stress. This is what most of us would call self care. But I am going to push the boundaries here, and argue that none of that stuff is self care. It’s just the capitalist side of it. Really taking care of yourself is so much more than that, and I believe that these days more than ever, people are forgetting that. This is a time in history where the pressure to succeed is often greater than our willingness to be happy. It’s a time when being overly busy is applauded even when it comes at the expense of your well-being. You can’t just slap on a face mask and cover up for the missing hours of sleep, or the amount of adrenaline coursing through your veins from all the stress.