Everyone’s heard about self-care. If you have even remote access to the internet, you’ll know that there are many videos, pictures, and essays about the subject of caring for oneself. The truth about this process, however, isn’t completely revealed in the media. There’s more about self-care that needs to be known so that everyone can recover and live a happier life. Here’s what you need to see if you honestly want to practice self-care.
It means you’re damaged
The process of self-care and recovery is one for healing damaged and broken psyches. It can also mean that you’re trying to prevent the worst possible scenarios in your emotional life. Self-care isn’t about being pretty or being inspiring to thousands of followers on your social media account. It means you’ve accepted that there are experiences that have hurt you in the past or are continuing to damage you. You can’t confront them directly yet, so you build yourself up first. For instance, you can start by enrolling in an eating disorder treatment in Lincoln, NE. They have many clinics as that of New York or California that offer professional help, so you don’t have to go far.
It isn’t always pretty
There are thousands of ways self-care is misrepresented. Bubble baths, puppies and kittens, and long, aimless walks in the park are some of the prettier versions. Unfortunately, self-care can also be quite unpleasant and sometimes too simple for your tastes. Taking a bath to clean your body of the gunk from outside is an example. Getting something nourishing to eat is another. Crying is also a powerful means of healing. If a friend is suffering from depression, make sure to offer a shoulder to cry on. There’s nothing brave or powerful about people who don’t know how to cry or have trained themselves never to do. Even if it feels ugly right now, doing mundane tasks can speed up or maintain your recovery.
It doesn’t have to cost money
If you’ve searched the keywords online, you’ll find gurus and pretenders who like to show off how much money they can spend on self-care. You don’t need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to begin your recovery. A few extra bills spent on a new wardrobe for work, a new book or reading glasses, and even extra food for your weekly supply can be part of your recovery process. Everyone heals differently, but frugality is a rare trait. Leave envy out of your heart when trying to do something good for yourself.
It’s not the fix, but it gets you there
Scary and unbelievable as it may seem, self-care is not the end of your struggle. It’s a rest stop for when you need to take a break and continue your fight the next day. If you’ve watched Cars, you’ll remember that Lightning McQueen’s first real failure was leaving his team behind and not going for a tire change in the middle of the race. He did this so that he could be in the lead and not risk getting left behind. But in the end, he lost because his tires gave away. Remember, you’re not running a race against anyone but yourself.
It’s a process
Sometimes, you want to stop and give up on everything. The pain of seeing yourself every day in such a state can be disheartening, even if you think you’ve gotten a handle on your recovery. Never fear, because the truth about self-care is that people take their entire lives to be better and to fix broken hearts.
Caring for your heart and mind is a task that takes will and grace. Even if it all seems like it’s falling apart, there’s nothing wrong with giving yourself a moment to bask in the hope that something will turn out well. Good luck and keep moving forward, one day at a time.
