There seems to be a lot of push back on Self-Care, and claims that it’s not a good solution to Burnout. Yet, my experience shows that Self-Care (or Energy) is really at the core of building our personal capacity to set Boundaries – which are at the root of avoiding Burnout.
Self-Care has gotten a bit of a bad rap lately. The term is overused, undervalued, and Self-Care is often seen as some action we need to do or something we need to buy.
But Self-Care is not an action.
It’s a Mindset.
My definition for Self-Care is the gentle tending to my needs. Prioritizing myself and my needs is not as a selfish act – rather a revolutionary one. When I’m strong, my work is strong. When I’m strong, I can tend to my family, my colleagues, and my community in a much more robust and centered way.
While it’s true that a bubble bath will not fix overwhelm, unmanageable workloads, tight budgets or those looming deadlines – investing in Self-Care does create something extremely powerful for me: Energy.
Ultimately, Self-Care strengthens me. It provides me the energy to reflect and witness my reality. It provides me energy to brainstorm and identify solutions in order to change my current situation or address a work challenge. It provides me energy to shift outdated mindsets and belief patterns that no longer serve me. This is why Self-Care (or Energy) is so foundational to boundary work. Because setting effective and strong boundaries requires effort. Learning to set and maintain effective Boundaries takes work – and I need energy to do that work.
So I propose we reframe Self-Care and claim the strength that arises from it. Let’s start by naming it for what it provides us: Energy.
Final thought: Self-Care alone will not fix organizational or societal structures that need to change – nor does it address the fact that there are very real systemic issues, which are causing the need for Self-Care (or Energy) in the first place. And yet – in order to begin broader change – we are going to need Energy. Individually and collectively. We won’t be able to change this world depleted, exhausted and drained. We will need something stronger. We are going to need Energy Choice & Power.
May you and yours be well.
All the best,
Woodrie
