“Self-care”

The idea of self-care has blown up in the behavioral health field, social media, blog posts, and heck it’s one of the best-selling genres of books.

I’m a big advocate of self-care. But not just the bubble-bath-taking, self-pampering, fitness-body-building, travel-the-world type of self-care advocate. I mean the self-care you don’t post a photo of on social media. I mean the hard conversations you have with a friend you hurt. Or the times you spend talking to God when you can barely gather the energy to speak. Or the moments you feel yourself losing patience and you make the decision to step out of the room.

Real self-care can be uncomfortable because it asks us to pay attention to what we need rather than what looks good from the outside, and sometimes that means making small choices that support our well-being when nobody else is watching. It can mean setting a boundary, admitting when something is not working, or being more intentional about the things we bring into our everyday routines, including what we use on our bodies.

For some people, that care also finds its way into the most ordinary routines, and bath time can become a quiet moment to step away from the noise and reconnect with yourself.

Choosing products made with natural ingredients for the body can make that routine feel more intentional, whether that means a gentle soap, nourishing body care, or an eco friendly body wash that fits comfortably into everyday habits. None of these things can replace the difficult work of caring for your emotional health, but they can create small pauses in the day where you breathe, reset, and remember that taking care of yourself does not always have to be complicated or something you share with anyone else.

Sometimes self-care looks even less impressive from the outside, like making time to eat properly, getting enough rest, paying attention to what your body needs, or recognizing when your usual routines are no longer working well for you.

Taking care of yourself can also mean addressing concerns that have been weighing on you rather than continuing to push them aside, including struggles with weight and the habits surrounding it. For some people, weight management becomes part of that larger picture of self-care, especially when healthy eating and regular activity have not been enough to create lasting changes.

A medically guided approach such as Coby Health may be considered as part of a broader weight management routine, while still keeping nutrition, movement, and sustainable everyday habits in focus. None of this needs to look perfect or happen all at once; sometimes taking better care of yourself simply means being honest about what you need and taking one practical step toward feeling healthier.

I’m all for exercise, good food, bubble baths, and vacations. But self-care is INTERNAL as well. When you care for a tree, the pruning to bring new growth is just as important as the feeding/watering. It’s constantly asking the question “is this tree (or am I) fruitful?”

This is a concept I’ve been toiling with for the past year. When counseling clients, they often say they are actively practicing more self-care but feel as if something is missing. After discussion, it’s the internal self-care that seems to be missing. The relationship with God, practice of faith, testing of patience, sharpening in friendships, and vulnerable conversations. You can apply all the substance to your life externally, but what substance are you filling yourself with internally?