6 Reasons to Stop Feeling Guilty for Self Care
One of the most common hurdles I had to overcome on my self care journey? Guilt. And it turns out this is a common struggle for many women. But it’s important to stop feeling guilty for self care so you can embrace self love and wellness.
Even the phrase “self care” implies it’s all about you and not about anyone else. This can make a lot of women feel guilty or uncomfortable because we are programmed to consider and take care of others – and not to be “selfish”.
If this post is resonating with you so far, keep reading!
Before you learn why you should stop feeling guilty for self care, let’s talk about the benefits of self care.
Self care has numerous benefits for both your physical and mental health.
Self care can mean a lot of things. It can be the food you put in your body, meditation, journaling, exercise, etc. It’s essentially any activity you do to benefit your physical, mental, and emotional health.
Sounds simple right? Well, even though it’s a simple concept, we often overlook or neglect our self care needs because of guilt.
However, self care has a lot of benefits that make working through that guilt worth it.
Self care is critical to reducing stress and anxiety, boosting self love and confidence, and improving your physical health and well-being.
And I can say from experience, if you work at building a consistent self care routine you will see these benefits throughout your mind, body, and soul.
This post is going to talk about the 6 reasons why you should stop feeling guilty for self care.
1. Your needs are important
I am going to say it one more time for emphasis…your needs are important. This is a really important belief to establish.
Your feelings are always valid and you deserve to take some time for yourself.
You deserve to take care of your physical health through eating healthy food, exercising, indulging in skin care, etc.
And you also deserve to take care of yourself mentally through meditation, journaling, therapy, yoga, or whatever else makes your mind feel at rest.
Be in touch with your needs and wants, then allow yourself to tend to those needs.
2. Helping yourself first will allow you to help others…
It can be really easy to focus on helping and supporting the people around you. However, don’t let your needs fall out of focus.
When we put our needs behind everyone else’s, we do ourselves and others a disservice. If you don’t take care of yourself first, you won’t be able to help others in the same capacity that you want to.
For example, sometimes I feel guilty about dropping my dog off at doggy day care when I need a day by myself to relax.
But then I remember that not only is my dog getting socialization and attention all day, but I am making sure I take the break I need so that once I pick her up at the end of the day, I have the energy to play and take care of her to the level that she deserves.
While that is just one small example, the lesson rings true throughout all of our experiences. You won’t be able to help others to the extent you want if you don’t take care of your own needs first.
3. You will never regret time or money spent on your well-being
Some women are hesitant to spend significant time or money on self care because they worry about regretting the investment later on.
But you will not regret spending resources on something that truly contributes to your well-being and health.
When you spend time or money on things like exercise classes that keep you healthy, fresh food, therapy, self help books, a massage, etc. you will find that these are the investments that make the money worth it.
You will never look back on on investments like that and think “I wish I hadn’t done that”.
While everything requires balance – I’m not by any means advocating you spend all of your time and money on self care activities – but taking care of your needs will not be a regret.
4. Your friends and family will understand your self care needs
If someone truly cares about you, they will never judge you for using time or money to care for yourself. They will also never judge you if you have to say no to something – especially if you explain why.
They will understand if you need to cancel plans because you feel overwhelmed. They will support your needs and ultimately just want you to be happy.
So don’t feel ashamed! And don’t let fears of judgment or letting others down prevent you from taking care of yourself.
Honestly, your friends and family will likely admire you for taking the initiative to prioritize your health and well-being.
I know this is easier said than done, but work on reminding yourself of that as you move along your self care journey.
5. Not all self care requires you to break the bank
When you think of self care, many of the things that come to mind require money. Massage, facial, gym membership…it can sound like self care is going to require a lot of money and add up quick.
But there are plenty of free or budget-friendly self care ideas that you can utilize!
For more information, click here to discover 31 free self care ideas.
Never let guilt about money or expenses prevent you from engaging in self care. Utilize some of the free self care ideas in the link above.
Now of course, no one wants to only utilize free self care ideas. I mean we want to get our hair cut or things like that right? In this case you can establish a monthly or weekly budget that includes self care.
If you’ve already established a budget that you are comfortable with ahead of time, then you never need to feel guilty or second guess spending money on self care because it’s already in the budget.
6. There are sustainable ways to indulge in self care, too.
Self care guilt can be difficult to shake at times, especially if you have a heart for the environment. However, there are plenty of self care ideas that are eco-friendly as well to help you feel good about it.
Click here to read my post on Sustainable Self Care Ideas.
You’ll find that you can treat yourself and make a difference at the same time!
Additionally, if you are a conscious consumer, you may feel guilty for supporting beauty brands that test products on animals and/or don’t match up to your personal ethical compass.
If that rings true with how you feel, utilize cruelty-free brands and vegan products.
For 11 of the best cruelty-free beauty products, read more here.
Those are the 6 reasons you should stop feeling guilty for self care.
If you still find yourself feeling guilty about self care, I also encourage you to try talking to someone you trust about it. Likely, they may feel the same way or be able to share some tactics that work for them.
You can also seek out a therapist in your local area or talking to a counselor online via an app like Sanity and Self or BetterHelp.
You can also leave a comment below because I would love to share my experience further and help you through your self care journey.
For more personal growth posts, read more here:
