Things that are not self-care: Therapist explains

From flaking on others to lying, here are a few things that are not self-care.

One of the most important parts of the daily routine is taking care of ourselves. Loving our body and mind, and ensuring that we are provided with enough attention, love and care from our end is what self-care is all about. Learning to prioritising our own needs, making ourselves feel loved, taking care of our mental health and pampering ourselves often to make ourselves feel good is important. "Self-care involves taking deliberate actions to nurture your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. It prioritizes activities that promote personal growth, reduce stress, and foster overall happiness without harming others," wrote Therapist Israa Nasir. However, taking care of us does not mean having disregard for others - "It is not characterised by a disregard for others’ needs and a focus solely on fulfilling one’s desires, often at the expense of those around them. Or doing things that feel good in the moment but are harmful in the long run," she further added.

Things that are not self-care: Therapist explains (Unsplash)

Here are a few things that we may mistake for self-care, but is not:

Flaking on others: Just because our own needs are important does not justify us blowing others off consistently. This will make us lose relationships and friendships and will affect our mental health. We need to learn to invest in relationships and balance things.

Boundaries: When we treat ourselves, we should still have boundaries. Self-care ensures that we make ourselves feel good but also have some limitations in it.

Isolating ourselves: Self-care can be done while being in the company of healthy people as well. It does not mean that we need to isolate ourselves from others to take care of ourselves.

Prioritising fun: We should not miss out on important deadlines and discussions just because we demand the fun stuff right away. Balance is the key to self-care.