Selling self-care

Since COVID,Instagram accounts and Twitter threads providing insight on self-care have shot up. It may have started before the pandemic, but its effect magnified in the lockdown.

Other than precautionary care, we realised that having more time at home allowed us to eat well, exercise, and care for our bodies. We realised we had to be careful.

But I don't think it is natural for us to be consistent with that learning. Here's why -

The environment during the pandemic was too clinical. The conditions were near perfect for us to indulge. We suddenly realised everyone wouldn't survive.

It made sense to make self-care the focus. Self-care was akin to the charms chanted during a ritual. Everyone was in on it.

We had the luxury of time then. However, we are gradually going back to the way it was prior to the pandemic. But we continue to feel the pressure to indulge in self-care.

We may no longer have the "bandwidth" for it. So we resort to feeling guilty. The awareness that we could be the self-caring, hyper-productive beast makes us wallow in what was.

The reason we can't wallow or guilt ourselves for being inconsistent is that on a daily basis, you always have more variables to deal with than you initially account for. All the slip-ups may not be your mistake or an inability to manage time,

Constantly living with guilt because of our inability to buy into vigorous self-care is harmful. It takes away from our energy to even do the bare minimum.

We scrutinise every little action and impose the routine of a time that was specific to the pandemic.

Instead of buying the idea of self-care and resenting yourself consider renting it.