Self-care is important during the busyness of the holiday season. But what does self-care really mean? If we look to Instagram to define self-care, one might conclude it to mean bubble baths, candles, and essential oils. This is all fine and good; however, we have to be careful that our self-care doesn’t become self-sabotage.
When we turn to candles and bubble baths for our self-care instead of facing discomfort or our fears, self-care can become just another way we avoid life and avoid moving forward with our recovery.
Yes, it’s nice to have Instagram-worthy photos documenting a lovely spread of essential oils and flowers, but it’s important to be aware of how this may be a way to avoid dealing with difficult feelings and truly doing the work in order to heal.
At its core, self-care is similar to being your own parent. This sometimes means doing things that are difficult, speaking up for yourself, setting boundaries, deleting or unfollowing people from your social media, and saying “yes” to a party even if you are insecure about going.
Recovery is a process of sitting with discomfort. It’s about moving through discomfort with positive action rather than turning toward old and harmful coping skills.
Sometimes self-care means doing things we don’t necessarily want to do in order to make progress and heal.
Keep this in mind this holiday season as you are surrounded by events and community. Remember that we truly heal in the presence of others and to show up authentically is indeed vulnerable and scary, however, it can also be a wonderful opportunity for true self-care!
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