Who knew that something as necessary as taking care of yourself would all of a sudden be so trendy? Well, thanks to Instagram and Pinterest it is. One day I woke up and everyone was carrying crystals in their pockets, using the Headspace app and burning sage. Even though I’m not into all of it, I’ll all for it. You gotta do what you gotta do to take care of yourself, and try new things until you find THE thing that works for you. Here’s hoping it’s not just a fad, and people continue to take care of themselves.
The day I knew “wellness” had oversaturated the media, was the day I saw an anti-mainstream self-care meme on my Instagram feed. It stated that self-care wasn’t all about bubble-baths and taking naps (shit, what did I sign up for then?). It acknowledged the dark less floofy side to self-care. The side that some people aren’t willing to identify or accept. It reminds me of getting a bikini wax. I know, I know. What the fuck? If you’ve ever had a bikini wax, they pour hot wax on your skin and use it to rip off your hair by the roots, then immediately apply pressure afterwards to ease the pain.
For me, that’s what my my not so fun self-care regimen is comparable to. Something painful, yet necessary to ensure smooth sailing afterwards. My unglamorous self-care regimen consists of a big slathering of moisturizing, butt-hurt cream and a hot bath of letting go.
Instructions: Repeat daily until symptoms of depression and anxiety subside/disappear.
Shed light on shady situations. People are shady. Even those you considered friends, which obviously is most hurtful. I’m constantly torn between whether something is worth salvaging, or if the actions should already show you where your friendship stands. Since I’m a non-confrontational person, I tend to avoid certain situations in hopes that karma will do the dirty work. However, I am currently trying to use the shade as motivation to live my best life so that I don’t even care if karma does its job or not.
Let go. I’ve learned the hard way that you won’t always get the apology you deserve or closure you want, and that people don’t fuck with you the way you fuck with them. Growing up an only child, I’ve always wanted everyone to love me. Obviously, that’s impossible. But when someone who used to love you no longer does, that’s just heartbreaking. Self-care means ACCEPTING THIS whether you’re OK with it or not. This is extremely hard for me. I thought it was hard with relationships, but it’s even harder to do with friendships. I don’t think there’s ever been anything I’ve let go of so easily. Shit, I STILL refuse to get rid of my baby-blue Mecca sweaterdress (it’s gonna make a come back, I swear!).
The truth is, it doesn’t matter how you take care of yourself long as you take care of yourself. What works for you may not work for others. While a massage sounds like such a better option for self-care, not doing the aforementioned would be self-torture.
BTW, it’s still very OK to take a hot bubble bath while drinking wine and reading a book.