Updated: Oct 21, 2021
Source: Pexels
The concept of ‘self-care’ has enjoyed its spotlight ever since the rise in social media wellness trends. It was initially introduced to encourage healthy habits to preserve our overall well-being. However, some of us may have swung the self-care message to the wrong side of the pendulum.
With hashtags like #yolo and #treatyourself, social media has blurred the lines between self-care and a mentality of self-indulgence. Hence, we must discern the differences between the two concepts as well as practice true self-care to reap its long-term benefits.
Self-indulgence is a form of greed that focuses on immediate pleasure without considering long-term consequences. Immediate gratification centres on what feels good at present, but this can potentially result in future problems. It is important to have concern for the long-term impact of our choices, not just the immediate pleasure.
Source: Pexels
Self-care: engaging in activities that benefit our well-being in the long run. It involves making responsible choices with conscious intentions. For example, excusing yourself early from a party to ensure you get enough sleep. Self-care and self-indulgence are different means of pursuing one's well-being or pleasure, and it is important to take responsibility for one's choices in this regard.
Self-indulgence: engaging in behaviours that are temporarily gratifying but have negative outcomes. For example, staying late at a party and ending up tired and irritable the next day.
True self-care requires us to be proactive so that we can cultivate meaningful mental and physical outcomes. This includes unfabulous activities like getting in a morning run and creating a spreadsheet for our finances. Essentially, it's about taking active control over our health and our responsibilities.
Self-care becomes indulgent when we engage in activities that distract us from our problems. These passive #treatyourself behaviours need to be kept at bay before they manifest into unhealthy coping methods. For instance, resorting to an extra can of beer or an impulse purchase to deal with stress.
Genuine self-care includes practices that positively influence our well-being. Its essence lies in cultivating a sense of long-term purpose and meaning. Eventually, it allows us to be more content and appreciative with our lives.
However, self-indulgence is rooted in hedonism, where we chase trends just to get that instant gratification or to post that selfie. This approach to wellness can lead us to feel discontented with our lives as we’re always chasing the next insta-worthy thing. Excessive self-indulgence can also result in psychological effects such as emptiness, burnout, and a lack of discipline. While indulgence may provide a temporary burst of energy or pleasure, it does not lead to lasting contentment.
Self-care nourishes and strengthens our minds, body, and souls. The purpose of this is so that we can enrich ourselves to better show up for our responsibilities and our community.
If we come from a place of self-indulgence, it’s easy to get swept away by our egos and our emotions. Self-indulgence is often related to coping with denied emotions, leading individuals to seek relief through compulsive behaviours. As a result, we do more harm to ourselves and others. For example, instead of taking a proactive approach to mend a relationship, you indulge in your anger and end up burning a bridge that could’ve been saved.
Understanding personal desires is at the heart of making the distinction between self-care and self-indulgence. Our desires often drive the choices we make every day, from the food we eat to the way we spend our free time. The key is to recognise which desires are truly serving our well-being in the long run, and which might be leading us down a path of indulgence that could harm our body, mind, or relationships.
For example, you might feel the urge to indulge in comfort food or binge-watch your favourite series after a stressful day. While these activities can bring a sense of happiness and pleasure in the moment, it’s important to ask whether they are helping you manage your anxiety in a positive way, or if they’re simply a quick escape that could lead to negative consequences over time. On the other hand, personal desires like wanting to feel energised, connected to loved ones, or at peace with yourself can inspire self-care activities such as preparing a nourishing meal, taking a walk in nature, or spending quality time with those you care about.
The difference lies in how we respond to our desires. When we take control and make intentional choices, we create a sense of balance that supports our well-being and helps us stay grounded. This doesn’t mean we have to deny ourselves all pleasure or avoid indulging from time to time. Instead, it’s about being mindful of how our actions affect our life, our relationships, and our sense of self in the long run.
By understanding our personal esires and reflecting on what truly brings us happiness and contentment, we can avoid falling into indulgent behaviours that leave us feeling lost or disconnected. Instead, we can focus on activities that nourish our soul, strengthen our relationships, and help us build a positive and meaningful life. Ultimately, taking the time to understand and honour our desires in a healthy way is a powerful form of self care—one that allows us to enjoy life’s pleasures without losing sight of what matters most.
Source: Pexels
True self-care isn’t about giving in to every craving or desire. It’s about making intentional choices that support your long-term well-being. Maintaining a disciplined routine 80% of the time while allowing 20% for indulgence can prevent burnout associated with rigidity.
Focus on doing things that genuinely contribute to your health and happiness, such as regular exercise, nutritious meals, and meaningful social connections, rather than things that offer only fleeting pleasure.
First, we need to assess the outcomes and consequences of our current self-care activities. Are they benefiting us only now? Or do they bring us benefits in the long run?
With the convenience of technology, this can be a challenging practice. As everything we could possibly want, from pizza to a date, can be attained by a few swipes. So, here’s a good guiding reference: If the long-term cost is greater than the positive feelings you get in the moment, you’ll know it’s not self-care.
Self-indulgence often serves as a quick fix to escape boredom or pain, which can lead to stagnation and neglect of responsibilities. It's important to confront the truth about your motivations for self-indulgent behaviours to make more mindful choices.
Instead of going on indulgent whims, create a schedule you can fall back on when life gets overwhelming. Avoidance and “letting ourselves off the hook” can be tempting when we’re stressed. Therefore, a go-to ritual that includes consistent bedtimes and mealtimes helps you stay disciplined even in times of chaos. Sticking to your self-care routine can bring a sense of accomplishment, much like earning a certificate as a tangible acknowledgement of your commitment and progress.
If you’re contemplating a self-care decision, it’s helpful to bounce off ideas with loved ones who are known to keep you grounded. Many have heard the saying, "You can't pour from an empty cup," which highlights the importance of self-care and maintaining your own well-being. You can also include them in your healthy self-care routines to help you stay accountable. Doing so not only drives your commitment levels up, but it fosters quality relationships too.
While the indulgent side of self-care is fine once in a while, such as drinking a glass of wine to relax, it's important to recognise the difference between self-care in moderation and self-indulgence that may have negative effects. Our choices, whether in how we treat ourselves or how we care for animals and the environment, can shape our image and reputation. The way we balance self-care and self-indulgence not only impacts our personal well-being but also influences the world around us, affecting our environment and relationships. We want to be more intentional with our self-care practices to effectively cope with our all-encompassing addiction to busyness. Ultimately, consciously nurturing our minds, bodies, and souls ensures that we can better show up for our passions and our loved ones.
Read other Mental Wellness Resources:
Build healthier and more resilient organisations with ThoughtFullChat’s bite-sized coaching and science-based tools. Our employee mental wellbeing programs will help foster a healthier and more productive workplace, both physical and virtual.
Our ThoughtFull Professionals are credentialed mental health professionals. Email us at hello@thoughtfull.world to get a free assessment and demo. Be sure to download our app on the Apple App Store and Google Play to try out some of our features.
Don’t forget to also connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and our other social channels to get more tips on mental and emotional wellbeing.
Updated: Oct 21, 2021
Source: Pexels
The concept of ‘self-care’ has enjoyed its spotlight ever since the rise in social media wellness trends. It was initially introduced to encourage healthy habits to preserve our overall well-being. However, some of us may have swung the self-care message to the wrong side of the pendulum.
With hashtags like #yolo and #treatyourself, social media has blurred the lines between self-care and a mentality of self-indulgence. Hence, we must discern the differences between the two concepts as well as practice true self-care to reap its long-term benefits.
Self-indulgence is a form of greed that focuses on immediate pleasure without considering long-term consequences. Immediate gratification centres on what feels good at present, but this can potentially result in future problems. It is important to have concern for the long-term impact of our choices, not just the immediate pleasure.
Source: Pexels
Self-care: engaging in activities that benefit our well-being in the long run. It involves making responsible choices with conscious intentions. For example, excusing yourself early from a party to ensure you get enough sleep. Self-care and self-indulgence are different means of pursuing one's well-being or pleasure, and it is important to take responsibility for one's choices in this regard.
Self-indulgence: engaging in behaviours that are temporarily gratifying but have negative outcomes. For example, staying late at a party and ending up tired and irritable the next day.
True self-care requires us to be proactive so that we can cultivate meaningful mental and physical outcomes. This includes unfabulous activities like getting in a morning run and creating a spreadsheet for our finances. Essentially, it's about taking active control over our health and our responsibilities.
Self-care becomes indulgent when we engage in activities that distract us from our problems. These passive #treatyourself behaviours need to be kept at bay before they manifest into unhealthy coping methods. For instance, resorting to an extra can of beer or an impulse purchase to deal with stress.
Genuine self-care includes practices that positively influence our well-being. Its essence lies in cultivating a sense of long-term purpose and meaning. Eventually, it allows us to be more content and appreciative with our lives.
However, self-indulgence is rooted in hedonism, where we chase trends just to get that instant gratification or to post that selfie. This approach to wellness can lead us to feel discontented with our lives as we’re always chasing the next insta-worthy thing. Excessive self-indulgence can also result in psychological effects such as emptiness, burnout, and a lack of discipline. While indulgence may provide a temporary burst of energy or pleasure, it does not lead to lasting contentment.
Self-care nourishes and strengthens our minds, body, and souls. The purpose of this is so that we can enrich ourselves to better show up for our responsibilities and our community.
If we come from a place of self-indulgence, it’s easy to get swept away by our egos and our emotions. Self-indulgence is often related to coping with denied emotions, leading individuals to seek relief through compulsive behaviours. As a result, we do more harm to ourselves and others. For example, instead of taking a proactive approach to mend a relationship, you indulge in your anger and end up burning a bridge that could’ve been saved.
Understanding personal desires is at the heart of making the distinction between self-care and self-indulgence. Our desires often drive the choices we make every day, from the food we eat to the way we spend our free time. The key is to recognise which desires are truly serving our well-being in the long run, and which might be leading us down a path of indulgence that could harm our body, mind, or relationships.
For example, you might feel the urge to indulge in comfort food or binge-watch your favourite series after a stressful day. While these activities can bring a sense of happiness and pleasure in the moment, it’s important to ask whether they are helping you manage your anxiety in a positive way, or if they’re simply a quick escape that could lead to negative consequences over time. On the other hand, personal desires like wanting to feel energised, connected to loved ones, or at peace with yourself can inspire self-care activities such as preparing a nourishing meal, taking a walk in nature, or spending quality time with those you care about.
The difference lies in how we respond to our desires. When we take control and make intentional choices, we create a sense of balance that supports our well-being and helps us stay grounded. This doesn’t mean we have to deny ourselves all pleasure or avoid indulging from time to time. Instead, it’s about being mindful of how our actions affect our life, our relationships, and our sense of self in the long run.
By understanding our personal esires and reflecting on what truly brings us happiness and contentment, we can avoid falling into indulgent behaviours that leave us feeling lost or disconnected. Instead, we can focus on activities that nourish our soul, strengthen our relationships, and help us build a positive and meaningful life. Ultimately, taking the time to understand and honour our desires in a healthy way is a powerful form of self care—one that allows us to enjoy life’s pleasures without losing sight of what matters most.
Source: Pexels
True self-care isn’t about giving in to every craving or desire. It’s about making intentional choices that support your long-term well-being. Maintaining a disciplined routine 80% of the time while allowing 20% for indulgence can prevent burnout associated with rigidity.
Focus on doing things that genuinely contribute to your health and happiness, such as regular exercise, nutritious meals, and meaningful social connections, rather than things that offer only fleeting pleasure.
First, we need to assess the outcomes and consequences of our current self-care activities. Are they benefiting us only now? Or do they bring us benefits in the long run?
With the convenience of technology, this can be a challenging practice. As everything we could possibly want, from pizza to a date, can be attained by a few swipes. So, here’s a good guiding reference: If the long-term cost is greater than the positive feelings you get in the moment, you’ll know it’s not self-care.
Self-indulgence often serves as a quick fix to escape boredom or pain, which can lead to stagnation and neglect of responsibilities. It's important to confront the truth about your motivations for self-indulgent behaviours to make more mindful choices.
Instead of going on indulgent whims, create a schedule you can fall back on when life gets overwhelming. Avoidance and “letting ourselves off the hook” can be tempting when we’re stressed. Therefore, a go-to ritual that includes consistent bedtimes and mealtimes helps you stay disciplined even in times of chaos. Sticking to your self-care routine can bring a sense of accomplishment, much like earning a certificate as a tangible acknowledgement of your commitment and progress.
If you’re contemplating a self-care decision, it’s helpful to bounce off ideas with loved ones who are known to keep you grounded. Many have heard the saying, "You can't pour from an empty cup," which highlights the importance of self-care and maintaining your own well-being. You can also include them in your healthy self-care routines to help you stay accountable. Doing so not only drives your commitment levels up, but it fosters quality relationships too.
While the indulgent side of self-care is fine once in a while, such as drinking a glass of wine to relax, it's important to recognise the difference between self-care in moderation and self-indulgence that may have negative effects. Our choices, whether in how we treat ourselves or how we care for animals and the environment, can shape our image and reputation. The way we balance self-care and self-indulgence not only impacts our personal well-being but also influences the world around us, affecting our environment and relationships. We want to be more intentional with our self-care practices to effectively cope with our all-encompassing addiction to busyness. Ultimately, consciously nurturing our minds, bodies, and souls ensures that we can better show up for our passions and our loved ones.
Read other Mental Wellness Resources:
Build healthier and more resilient organisations with ThoughtFullChat’s bite-sized coaching and science-based tools. Our employee mental wellbeing programs will help foster a healthier and more productive workplace, both physical and virtual.
Our ThoughtFull Professionals are credentialed mental health professionals. Email us at hello@thoughtfull.world to get a free assessment and demo. Be sure to download our app on the Apple App Store and Google Play to try out some of our features.
Don’t forget to also connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and our other social channels to get more tips on mental and emotional wellbeing.
