Surviving Life by Self-Soothing and Calling it Self-Care

Are You Lying to Yourself Because it is Easier than Working on Yourself?

I have had such a terrible day, I am just going to go home, hide under the covers, order an insane amount of takeout and watch television until I pass out.

Of course, days like this are completely valid, if they are few and far between, but has this become your regular weekly routine? Are you doing this more often than not? Maybe a couple of times a week or more? Could that money be spent more wisely? Perhaps to pay down that credit card bill that has remained at a minimum payment for months? Credit does not go away by paying the minimum balance, believe me.

What else are you ignoring by self-sabotaging like this? What about all the food in your fridge that is going bad? How do you feel every Sunday throwing away your rotten vegetables only to buy them all over again that evening, vowing to do better this coming week?

I have had such a terrible day, I am just going to go home, uncork a bottle of wine and do absolutely nothing at all.

How healthy is this decision? Sure, if this happens seasonally or less it is completely valid, but is this your regular? Are you regularly shirking your responsibilities because of a ‘bad day’ and drinking to ignore the pain?

How is sitting around drinking too much wine going to make you feel in the long run? How will you feel when you wake up, hungover, with a mountain of dishes staring at you from the kitchen sink, the dirty laundry peeking out from every corner of your room and your only concern is trying to figure out how to get an extension on the paper that is due today? You will feel worse than you did before your night of self-titled self-care.

If what you did in the name of self-care makes you feel worse, more detached from your life and increases your stress, then it was not an act of self-care.

Your night of self-soothing masked as self-care has actually worsened your life, not bettered it, thereby reinforcing that it…