Essentially, self-care is exactly what it states, taking care of yourself. It is the practice of taking an active role in protecting your own well-being and happiness. To so many people, self- care is a simple concept to digest, but too many, it’s a practice that often overlooked. Self-care has become so commercialized over the past couple of years with the overwhelming information on its importance on mental wellness. When you hear the words, self- care, your brain may automatically take you to the pictures of mindfulness, or thinking about the Happy Baby pose in yoga! Exploring your emotions by journaling or practicing YOGA can all provide optimal benefits to your self-care routine, but that’s not all you need. I truly believe that all the aforementioned acts of kindness to yourself are beautiful ways to temporary happiness, but there is so much more to self-care than you think.

True self-care takes work. A deeper understanding of committing to give yourself what you need takes work. The ability to allow yourself to feel, to think, to cry if you need will take work. We understand that as Humans we are emotional beings with feelings and experiences and Life hurts us. True self-care is permitting yourself to live in the moment, to experience the highs’ and lows in life while striving to love yourself throughout the process. It’s about being comfortable being uncomfortable on this journey called Life. It’s about recognizing your own needs and doing what you need in order to fulfill them. When you neglect your self- care, you are essentially telling yourself you don’t care about how you feel, and you are not worth the time or effort it takes to improve your wellness. When I am not practicing any form of self-care, I can feel it. I become overwhelmed, easily agitated, have issues with sleep and my cravings for chocolate kick in.