International Self-Care Day (24 July) offers us a chance to pause and reflect on a simple but powerful truth: we all need more and better self-care. Yet self-care is often misunderstood or dismissed as a luxury, a reward earned, or an indulgence for those with time and money to spare. In reality, self-care is a vital and ongoing practice of tending to ourselves as whole beings.
We live in fast-moving, demanding times. Many of us are stretched thin by work, family, and community responsibilities. For carers, helping professionals, activists, and spiritual seekers, the risk of exhaustion and burnout can be exceptionally high. That makes self-care not selfish, but essential. Self-care is what enables us to show up fully for what matters most, over and over again.
Why self-care matters
At its heart, self-care is about recognising that we are worthy of care, not because we’ve done enough to deserve it, but simply because we are alive. It means acknowledging our limits, tending to our needs, and making space to rest, heal, and restore. When we take good care of ourselves, we are better equipped to care for others and engage meaningfully with the world around us.
Self-care isn’t always easy. It can involve difficult and courageous work: saying no when we’re used to saying yes, setting boundaries, asking for help, or changing patterns that no longer serve us. It’s not something we can outsource or tick off in a weekend; it’s a daily, evolving practice that requires presence, attention, and self-compassion.
From a feminist perspective, this is particularly urgent. Women and people assigned female at birth are so often raised to believe that our value lies in how well we care for others, pouring from our cup until it’s empty. We are conditioned to put ourselves last, to be endlessly self-sacrificing, and to meet every need but our own. Men and people of all genders are also shaped by cultural narratives that equate worth with productivity and overwork. Self-care disrupts those expectations. It affirms that we are all deserving of attention, tenderness, and rest.
In a culture that glorifies overwork and burnout, self-care also means rejecting tiredness as a lifestyle. Exhaustion is not a badge of honour. Being perpetually busy is not proof of worth. Rest is a radical, healing act, and a way of reclaiming time, energy, and humanity in a world that so often demands we do more, give more, and expect less in return.
The spiritual dimension of self-care
For those of us whose spirituality is rooted in the earth, self-care is also about relationship with ourselves, with land, water, sky, and the unseen.. We are not separate from nature; we are part of it. As we care for the land, waterways, and skies, we must also tend to the ecosystem of our being.
The cycles of nature offer reminders and invitations: the changing seasons, the phases of the moon, the rising and setting of the sun. These rhythms remind us that life ebbs and flows, that rest is as necessary as action. Self-care can help us align with these rhythms, bringing harmony to our lives.
Resting during the dark moon, tending a garden, preparing a nourishing meal are not indulgences but ways to honour our connection to the greater web of life.
Practical suggestions for self-care
Self-care will look different for each of us, and it’s deeply contextual. Some people have more resources, time, health, or support than others. For those living with chronic illness, disability, poverty, or the impacts of oppression, basic acts of self-care can take tremendous effort.
That’s why it’s important to approach self-care with gentleness. These suggestions are not a checklist or an ideal to strive for; think of them as invitations to experiment and adapt as your needs and circumstances change. Remember that mundane tasks such as brushing your teeth, preparing food, or making a doctor’s appointment can be profound acts of self-care when life is overwhelming.
Emotional and mental care
- Journal regularly: Use prompts or free-write whatever’s on your mind
- Seek support: Talk with a therapist, counsellor, support group, or trusted friend
- Express creativity: Try painting, music, poetry, dance, or photography
- Create quiet space: Make time alone to process feelings and thoughts
- Embrace play: Board games or playful movement
- Set media boundaries: Curate your news and social feeds with intention
- Practice gratitude: List three things each day that nourish or uplift you
Physical care
- Prioritise quality sleep: Create a wind-down routine before bed
- Nourish your body: Prepare warm, satisfying meals that fuel you well
- Stay hydrated: Keep water close throughout the day
- Move gently: Try yoga, tai chi, or mindful walking
- Get outdoors: Breathe fresh air, soak in sunlight, and observe the seasons
- Tend your body kindly: Enjoy baths, skincare, massage, stretching
- Stay on top of health: Schedule regular check-ups and screenings
Spiritual care
- Create daily rituals: Morning intentions, evening gratitudes, small offerings
- Follow lunar cycles: Rest during the dark moon, initiate projects during the waxing moon
- Connect with the elements: Light a candle, touch a tree, sit near flowing water
- Cultivate mindfulness: Try breathwork or meditation practices
- Seek inspiration: Read spiritual texts or poetry that speak to you
- Express gratitude: Thank ancestors, spirit guides, Country, or simply life itself
Digital wellness
- Take regular breaks: Practice a weekly ‘digital sabbath’, a day without devices or social media
- Curate mindfully: Unfollow or mute accounts that drain your energy
- Set boundaries: Use time limits on apps that cause distraction or stress
- Create screen-free zones: Designate device-free evenings or meal times
- Choose nourishing content: Seek podcasts, music, and articles that uplift rather than deplete
Rest and boundary care
- Listen to your body: Honour signals of tiredness, hunger, or tension
- Practice saying no: Decline commitments that don’t serve your wellbeing, without guilt
- Create ‘do not disturb’ rituals: Switch off notifications, close the door, and rest
- Recognise overcommitment: Reduce obligations when possible
- Embrace unstructured time: Allow yourself moments of simply being
Importantly, self-care isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes it’s about less: subtraction, simplification, and spaciousness. It’s about making room for what sustains you, and letting go of what doesn’t.
Self-care as resistance
Self-care also has a political dimension. In A Burst of Light: Living with Cancer, Black feminist writer Audre Lorde said, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
In a culture that too often devalues certain bodies and lives—especially Black, brown, disabled, queer, trans, and marginalised people—caring for yourself can be a radical act. It is a way to assert your worth and dignity, to claim rest in a world that demands endless labour, and to sustain your capacity to care for others and work toward justice.
It is also worth noting that self-care has been commodified. The wellness industry often reduces self-care to skincare routines, spa treatments, and expensive products, but retinol and moisturiser are not cures for systemic fatigue and collective exhaustion. The treat-yourself culture encourages us to spend money to feel marginally better, focusing on frown lines and equating care with consumption.
This version of self-care is intensely individualistic, ignoring the larger forces—racism, sexism, ableism, poverty—that create exhaustion and harm in the first place. When self-care is framed as individual pampering, it risks reinforcing systems of oppression.
A true self-care practice is relational and collective. It calls us to build networks of mutual care and solidarity, to create communities where rest is possible, where needs are met, and where everyone has access to the conditions that nurture wellbeing.
My self-care practices
Self-care is not always easy for me. I sometimes take on too much, and I wish I slept more, exercised more, or ate better. But I try to stay attentive to my rhythms and return to simple practices that help me feel whole.
I rest intentionally, meditate, express gratitude, and recharge outdoors whenever possible. I honour my ancestors and maintain devotional rituals that nourish my spirit. I tightly control my digital time and the information that reaches me. I have fantastic support from family, friends, fellow end-of-life doulas, and spiritual carers. I spend time with people I care about and who care about me.
I also enjoy the occasional indulgence: getting my nails done, a massage, favourite chocolates. These small acts of care ground me and help me return to myself when life feels overwhelming.
Moving forward
Self-care is a lifelong practice, not a destination. It asks us to listen closely, to attend to our needs with honesty and kindness, and to honour our interconnection with all life. It’s not about perfection; it’s about showing up for ourselves with the same compassion we would offer a dear friend.
On this International Self-Care Day, I invite you to reflect on what self-care means for you, not as a list of tasks to complete, but as an embodied practice of love and respect for your being.
You are worthy of care. You deserve to flourish. And in caring for yourself well, you contribute to a world where all beings can thrive.