14/05/2022
Self-care
On Mental Health Awareness Week I feel itβs imperative to speak of ππππ-ππππ, a concept I believe still often misunderstood, judged or discounted.
What is your first thought when you hear of ππππ-ππππ? What does it mean for you?
For myself, growing up in Romania, I had no initiation into the concept of self-care. Just βπππππβ, not βπππππβ translated into lost opportunity, πππππππ ππππ as ππππππππ.
One worked hard to earn their living, returning home at the end of the day to fulfil household duties: cook, clean, laundry and so on. π. Days off, βsick daysβ were not an option unless seriously ill.
The only leeway into self-care was personal grooming (hair, nails etc) although that was more of an attempt to upkeep oneβs βππΎππΏπΎπΌπβ image, seen as another box to tick on a busy schedule rather than an enjoyable process.
It took years of retraining as a psychotherapist to:
a. Grasp the concept of self-care,
b. Understand its meaning,
c. Avidly fight my introjected cultural/societal judgements and current ones,
to, ultimately:
d. Embrace it as a necessary vital prerequisite of living.
ππππ-ππππ is a process and can be cultivated by us all. How do you do yours?
π₯ by π₯°ππ»ππ»
