Like @financhu and @AMHOLIO mentioned, "self-care" originally meant "Care of self" as you would a pet or a child. Keep it healthy, clean, fed, safe, and comfy.
I don't know where the concept of self-care originated, but I've always pictured it in the context of new mothers. Yes, you have a baby to care for, but you can't forget about your own basic needs. Bathe regularly, even if it's more of a two minute rinse off than a real shower. Do your best to avoid unhealthy food, even if it means going out of your way to meal prep for the week. Take your vitamins. At least attempt to get some decent sleep, although that may be impossible with a newborn. (I don't know. Maybe some babies are less noisy than others, but I'm not a parent.)
Can't, I post on Kiwifarms, I'll never know how to get gorl...
Even if I get another Kiwi, what are the odds of troon?
While I get this is a joke, I'll never understand why so many people assume that 99% of Kiwis are men.
It's an anonymous gossip site, one where you can be as petty and catty as your heart desires, without fear of real-world consequences. Us ladies love that shit.
Now, whether or not it's a good idea to date a lady Kiwi is an entirely different matter. I just assume everyone here is at least mildly fucked up, so DM at your own risk.
Although, I'm pretty sure at least one Kiwi couple has been crazy enough to tie the knot. No clue how it's going, but it happened.
I think the essence of self-care should be spending time around people you like and who like you back, whether that be your lover, your kids, your friends, or even yourself (if you’re lonely or just a misanthrope). Have fun, make memories, don’t consoom recklessly but don’t be cheap, either. Take the pills if you need them, talk to someone who will listen and give good advice, touch grass, have an adventure. Do something you like, but not to excess, so that it stays special.
To me, genuine self-care is any activity that's working toward a long-term goal, putting effort into self-improvement, or preserving a more positive future for yourself and your loved ones. Take learning a new language as an example. You're improving yourself by learning a new skill, but you're also exercising and preserving your mind. Learning how to grow your own vegetable garden will get you working outside, get you some exercise, save you some money on groceries, maybe encourage you to cook more, and it's obviously healthy. As long as it falls into at least one of the three above categories, it counts in my book.
For my own self-care, the most beneficial ones for me are that I try to keep my home clean and tidy and don't have any social media. Lately, it's been helpful to go more... I guess "minimalist" is the word, but it feels pretentious to use.
I've found that de-cluttering your living space, not just keeping it dusted and vacuumed, really helps with focus and, oddly enough, general nervous energy. No matter what your mental state is or what mental health issues you have, having less visual chaos pulling your mind in a dozen different directions is always beneficial.
To help with the de-cluttering last month, I went through a bunch of clothing, shoes, and bags that have collected in my attic and closet over the years, boxed them up, and had a full car load for the city mission. I also bought some basic toiletries, extra socks, gloves, hats, and scarves from the dollar store to donate, because it's been fuckin' freezing here.
And you could argue that charity is a form of self-care -- make a real effort to put some good into the world and to help those less fortunate. Go out of your way to be kind to your neighbor, and I promise you'll sleep better at night. Just do it for the right reasons and not social media asspats.
Learning to make stuff with your hands is great -- woodworking, metalworking, jewelry, beer or wine, sculpting, pottery, sewing, knitting, baking -- anything that you can visually see coming together in front of you as the project progresses. In the end, you have something tangible and useful as proof of your hard work, and you can use that talent to make really special, one-of-a-kind gifts.
I'm sure some people get the same enjoyment and sense of accomplishment out of coding and programming, but I've never gotten that kind of satisfaction from working on a computer.
Also, dedicating time each day to my faith helps me deal with life's BS, but I understand religion isn't for everyone.
