In A Burst of Light, Audre Lorde wrote “caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare.” Self-care is often seen as something people want to do, not something they need to do, but I think that is the wrong way to look at self-care.
Self-care has existed for centuries. Michel Foucault, a philosopher who focused on ethics and morals, studied ancient ethics and wrote multiple books on these findings. He said that there is an ethical obligation to take care of yourself because, in the long run, it will make you a better person, and you can then contribute more to those around you.
Essentially, what Foucault’s studies and books show is that self-care is more important than caring for others first, because you can not care for someone else fully if you are not at an ideal state of being.
Philosophy is really not my cup of tea, however, I think this theory brings a lot to the self-care table. Many people view self-care as laziness, which is not true. People do sometimes give themselves leeway to be more lazy because they can say it’s self-care, but they are not equivalent.
Self-care isn’t about taking the day off because you don’t want to write a paper, it’s about self-reflection and taking the time to be a better you for yourself, but also for the world around you.
Taking care of yourself comes in many forms and should happen for many reasons. Each person has their own reasons for needing to take care of themselves. It may be for other people, it may be to make things more manageable, or it may be to help with physical or mental health. All of these, as well as any other reason, are valid and equally important.
Even though self care has been practiced for centuries, it was not until the millennial generation that self-care became a market. Millennials spend more money on workouts, diets, and life-coaching or therapy than any other generation and more millennials make personal improvement goals.
This has created a multi-billion industry that has probably been created by the Internet. Social media and websites give easy access to ways to improve yourself. You can easily find diets, workouts, and life tips online with just a Google search. This may be why the millennial generation is the most invested in self-care.
I believe that the Internet plays a big role in the search for self-care, but in a different manner. I think that easy access to news stories, particularly bad news, is pushing this movement along. Since the election, Google searches for “self-care” have reached new heights in the past five years.
The news is so frequently bad news that often it can feel like all that there is, is bad news. This isn’t true, and it’s important for our mental health to seek out good news. Watching footage of shootings, or war, or children dying from disease can be extremely harmful to our sense of well being.
With all of this being said, it can be hard to navigate the best ways to be your best self, and just about everyone has their favorite ways to treat themselves. I think that it is a very personal routine, but there are definitely some common trends, no matter who is suggesting the self-care.
The most popular, and seemingly the most effective, self-care involves trying to get into a regular workout schedule, unplugging from social media or the Internet completely, putting special effort into personal hygiene in some way, reconnecting with people or making an effort to be close with those you love, or to take time completely for yourself.
All of these things have pros and cons, and endless variations: do yoga or strength training, throw out your phone or just turn it off, have a spa day or buy nice soap.
No matter what floats your boat and makes you feel like your best self, is ultimately what’s the most important thing, as long as what you doing it isn’t ultimately harmful to yourself or others.
Take some time in your coming week to find a way to care for yourself and figure out what works best for you. Over time, these things can really help you feel like the best you that you can be.
Emma Farina
Opinions Columnist