24 February 2021
As a noun, the word care is “the provision of what’s necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone, or something.” It’s also “serious attention applied to doing something.” As a verb, care is “to feel concern or interest, attach importance to something.” And also, “to look after and provide for the needs of.” Caring is essentially an act of love. Caring is a devotion towards goodness, wellbeing, and protection. Actions of care lead to rewards of wellness, safety, health, and prosperity. But caring for other people and other things is often easier than caring for oneself. I’ve actually seen people take better care of their pets than they do themselves. But why are we so often neglectful of self-care – loving actions which reward us with our own sense of wellness?
Too often we neglect self-care in the name of selflessness. But the act of self-care is not the act of selfishness at all. It’s a matter of respecting your life and your body, and showing, through action, that you matter. We all matter, and you are no different. Remember that care is an act. But be wary in deceiving yourself. Many times we do things under the guise of a reward, and those so-called rewards are punitive – they come with a penalty. You are not “rewarding” yourself by skipping that workout, or having that piece of cake, or in vegging in front of the TV. Those are acts of neglect. Acts of care are those things which you know benefit your wellness. Working out, healthy eating, meditation – those are the rewards – those are real acts of love, care, and respect for yourself. Caring is knowing what’s good for you and following through with actions, in spite of how you may feel about them. Love yourself today by caring. Follow through on at least one self-caring action today. Little by little, you’ll build better habits that benefit you. Your healthy actions will begin to feel like your deserved reward.