Self Care is Soooo Misunderstood
Why Self-Care Is So Often Misunderstood
If you've ever been told to "practice more self-care" while feeling completely overwhelmed, you're not alone.
Somewhere along the way, self-care became associated with bubble baths, massages, spa days, and the occasional vacation. While those things can certainly be enjoyable, they were never meant to carry the weight of our wellbeing.
The problem isn't that self-care doesn't work. The problem is that we've misunderstood what it actually is.
True self-care isn't something we do after we've given everything away. It's how we protect and restore our energy before we reach depletion.
For many professionals, especially those in healthcare, leadership, caregiving, and service-oriented roles, the expectation has become that we simply keep pushing. We give to our teams, our families, our organizations, and our communities. Then, when exhaustion inevitably appears, we're often told the solution is to schedule a massage or take a day off.
But burnout is rarely caused by a lack of bubble baths.
More often, it develops when there is a persistent imbalance between what we're giving and what we're receiving in return—energy, support, rest, meaning, connection, or purpose.
This is why self-care cannot be limited to occasional acts of comfort.
It must become a daily practice of awareness.
Are you getting enough rest?
Do you have space to think?
Are your values aligned with how you're spending your time?
Do you feel supported?
Do you know what restores you...and are you making room for it?
These questions matter because sustainable wellbeing isn't built through dramatic life overhauls. It's built through small, consistent choices that help us reclaim our energy one day at a time.
The goal isn't to escape your life for a weekend.
The goal is to create a life that no longer requires constant recovery from it.
That's where lasting change begins.