Self-care is a topic many struggle with. We lose ourselves in the expectations of others, in this culture which reveres the can-do attitude of the individual, doing it all (alone) with grace and ease. We denigrate ourselves for not succeeding, for not living up to our own unrealistic expectations. Taking a break is for losers. Loving yourself is conceited. Taking time for self-care is selfish. You’re not trying hard enough.
We have become separated from ourselves, subjugating our soul’s longing in order to show up in the way we think we should so that other people are comfortable. We don’t rock the boat, we do what’s expected of us, and we suffer as a result. What would it mean to turn the old paradigm on its head, and tell the world, “No, not anymore”?
Henry Thoreau famously said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”
I say this: Do not die with that song in your soul. Engage in the care of your soul, the sacred work of Radical Self-care. Radical, because it goes against the stream. Sacred, because it’s the most important work there is. Please, take a stand. Stand up and be radical. Go against the stream and do what you need to do to take care of yourself. You’re the only you we have, and whether you believe it or not, you are deeply loved – just because you are you.
