I don't think self care means being alone. To me it means doing what you feel you need to do to nourish yourself. And that may well be seeking the company of others. I love how you reference community care. That sounds a great way to seek self care.
I agree that it doesn’t *have* to mean being alone, but often, most readily-accessible forms of self care are solo endeavors. We unfortunately do not have community care structures in place for folks to tap into, so when it’s most needed, it’s difficult to know what to do.
Nourishing yourself, yes, but the onus is often placed on the individual to figure out how to do that and then to seek it out. When things are most difficult for me, it feels almost impossible for me to seek out someone to talk to without that already-established relationship (which I do have via therapy). It would be nice to normalize conversations and support with others that include being there through difficult times when we struggle to care for ourselves.
It would never have occurred to me that self-care had to always be a solitary act. Absolutely part of self-care is community and connection. I also love your eagle meme above!
yes! Katie and I are friends, and we had a laugh about how we were on the same wavelength!
I don't think self care *has* to be a solitary act, but the most readily-accessible forms of self care are usually framed as things we do alone. It's hard to ask for the support of others!
This resonates so deeply with me. I’ve been struggling with feelings of loneliness, but also extreme social anxiety and fear of putting myself out there.
I've struggled with the balance between my need for independent self-reliance and my equally strong need for the energy I draw from communication and connection from friends and even from strangers. I am probably more of an extrovert with a strong need for regular solitude than an introvert who also craves time with others. Either way, the struggle is real. And as far as self-care goes, I agree with you that the focus tends to be on solo endeavors. But there's no reason "self-care" can't be accomplished with others. Let's have coffee and talk more!
I don't think self care means being alone. To me it means doing what you feel you need to do to nourish yourself. And that may well be seeking the company of others. I love how you reference community care. That sounds a great way to seek self care.
I agree that it doesn’t *have* to mean being alone, but often, most readily-accessible forms of self care are solo endeavors. We unfortunately do not have community care structures in place for folks to tap into, so when it’s most needed, it’s difficult to know what to do.
Nourishing yourself, yes, but the onus is often placed on the individual to figure out how to do that and then to seek it out. When things are most difficult for me, it feels almost impossible for me to seek out someone to talk to without that already-established relationship (which I do have via therapy). It would be nice to normalize conversations and support with others that include being there through difficult times when we struggle to care for ourselves.
Because it’s how the universe works, the email that followed yours in my inbox was titled, “find yourself care squad”. https://mysweetdumbbrain.substack.com/p/find-your-self-care-squad?r=89jrh&utm_medium=ios
It would never have occurred to me that self-care had to always be a solitary act. Absolutely part of self-care is community and connection. I also love your eagle meme above!
yes! Katie and I are friends, and we had a laugh about how we were on the same wavelength!
I don't think self care *has* to be a solitary act, but the most readily-accessible forms of self care are usually framed as things we do alone. It's hard to ask for the support of others!
This resonates so deeply with me. I’ve been struggling with feelings of loneliness, but also extreme social anxiety and fear of putting myself out there.
Any time you want to grab a drink at the Fortune Teller Bar, I'm in!
That would be great!!
I've struggled with the balance between my need for independent self-reliance and my equally strong need for the energy I draw from communication and connection from friends and even from strangers. I am probably more of an extrovert with a strong need for regular solitude than an introvert who also craves time with others. Either way, the struggle is real. And as far as self-care goes, I agree with you that the focus tends to be on solo endeavors. But there's no reason "self-care" can't be accomplished with others. Let's have coffee and talk more!