7 Authentic Reasons To Stop Feeling Guilty About Self-Care

Feeling guilty about self-care, and don’t know how to handle your conflicting emotions? Alright, it’s time to put the guilty thoughts to bed.

In this post, I convince you to embrace self-care, through 7 points that are as valid and authentic as you.

Self-care is no more a trend that rose to heights through social media.

It has now become a movement that we didn’t even realize we needed.

With numerous complexities floating around the world, it’s become a necessity to look after yourself. And why shouldn’t it be?

After all, if we don’t care for ourselves, who will?

And how can we ever expect ourselves to care for others, if we can’t do the same for ourselves?

Valid questions, with only one response – yes, self-care is important, and there is no need to be guilty about it.

Self-care is not self-indulgence, it is self- preservation. -Audre Lorde

Yet, we find ourselves hesitating about fulfilling our needs all the time.

This feeling is called self-care guilt, something that shouldn’t even exist, but is unfortunately very real.

Why You Might Feel Guilty About Self-Care

Here’s a quick glimpse into the reasons that might be making you feel guilty about self-care.

1. You think you’re being selfish

One of the prime reasons behind your self-care guilt is the fear of being neglectful toward others.

It’s a common feeling to have but needs to be nudged away.

2. Self-care might sound expensive

You think you’ll have to spend money on skin-care products, journals, and personal items, and this will burn a hole in your pocket.

3. You think you’re wasting time

Even though deep down, you know this is something that needs to be done.

But you still worry that you’re taking away from your other priorities.

4. A lack of self-love might cause you to feel self-care guilt

Think you have trouble loving yourself?

It might the reason why you feel guilty about self-care.

Loving others comes naturally to humans. But self-love is a different song altogether, which many of us have no clue about how to sing.

Can you list some more reasons that might be spurring your self-care guilt?

Jot them down on paper, or go through them in your head. This little exercise will do half the work to rid you of your guilt.

Whatever your reasons to feel guilty about self-care may be, one thing is clear – You need to let go of this heaviness.

You don’t deserve to hold on to it, and you know it yourself. That’s why you’re reading this post!

Sometimes, we need someone else to reaffirm some gentle truths to us.

And in this case, I am more than happy to remind you of the beauty of self-care.

Think this post might be useful? You might want to pin it to safeguard for later.

This post is all about authentic reasons to stop feeling guilty about self-care. 

Let’s dive in!

7 Authentic Reasons To Stop Feeling Guilty About Self-Care

1. You Are Your First Priority

You probably have a lot of priorities in life. Work, children, family, friends, etc. All of them are important, no doubt.

But your first priority should always be you. The world as you know it is nothing without you.

That makes you the most important person in your life!

This makes self-care a necessary part of your routine, which you absolutely must perform on an everyday basis.

Important Tips To Help You Prioritize Yourself

• Learn to say ‘no’
• Turn off your notifications at the end of the day
• Create a go-to self-care routine
• Be okay with missing out on things you don’t want to be part of
• Reserve a weekend day for yourself
• Switch off your phone before bedtime

Highly Recommended: 12 Amazing Ideas For The Best Self-Care Night Routine

2. Self-Care Is Not Selfish

If indulging in self-care makes you feel selfish, I’d like you to put a full stop to this feeling.

Comparing self-care to selfishness is like saying a loving person doesn’t know how to love.

These two aspects are as far apart as the two poles on the earth!

But, our brains and hearts love confusing the two. If we retreat for some time to tend to our needs, it does not mean that we’re ignoring our loved ones.

Caring for yourself does not make you selfish.

In fact, if you were a selfish person, you wouldn’t stop to think about others at all.

The fact that you feel guilty in the first place is a huge distinction.

But this glaring distinction is something you can do without. Get rid of it, because it doesn’t help your growth in any way.

Check Out: 15 Amazing Weekend Self-Care Ideas To Reset Your Mind

3. Self-Care Strengthens You

Mental strength isn’t something you’re born with. You have to build it, nurture it, and make decisions that magnify your resolve.

Self-care is one such decision you can make on an everyday basis, to slowly raise the bar of your inner strength.

It makes you feel looked after and cared for. This kind of care is infinite and is something that nobody can take from you.

Since self-care is all about taking charge of your life, you feel grounded in yourself.

You realize that if something goes wrong, you have solutions at hand you can use to heal yourself.

In true fashion, I suppose this is what we call ‘being the boss of your own life.’

And being a boss, you don’t dread your powers, but make the best use of them. 😉

Related: 11 Important Signs You Need A Break In Life

4. Self-Care Is Your Direct Path To Self-Love

There is an inner child in you, who needs to be tended to.

No matter how old you get, or what lessons you learn in life, your inner child would always demand attention and crave love.

At first, you might try to look for this love elsewhere.

You’d think that someone from your family, friend circle, or a caring partner might be able to quench this need.

But these people can only give you love, while your inner child is crying to you for self-love.

I believe self-love to be no less than a magical power.

It has the tendency to heal, strengthen and turn a loss into a victory.

It can make you weave your way out of hard problems, and leave you feeling full and satisfied.

So how do you tap into this power? What’s the language of self-love?

You know what I’m about to say – Self-care is your one direct route to self-love. And it’s also the easiest way you can learn how to love yourself.

So, don’t feel guilty about self-care. Your inner child won’t take nicely to it.

A Post I Highly Recommend: 10 Self-Love Habits Every Woman Needs For A Strong Life

5. The More You Care For Yourself, The More You Give Back

Remember my rant on how self-care is not selfish?

On that similar line of thought, it’s worth adding that self-care prepares you to look after others better.

If you’re in constant touch with your inner needs and are also fulfilling them on time, chances are you’re getting better at understanding human emotion.

Indulging in self-care opens you up to receptiveness, and heightens your awareness of things that are wrong.

You can offer helpful solutions to sticky problems, and nudge people to approach life gently.

Remember that care runs in circles. It is a never-ending source of love that humans desperately need in their lives.

The more you care for yourself, the more your caring nature thrives. 🙂

Also, people who like caring for themselves, usually encourage the world to do the same.

This is such a positive message to spread (and is one of the reasons why I have a wellness section on my blog!)

Bookmark For Later: 101 Quick 5-Minute Self-Care Activities

6. Self-Care Kills Stress

For a long time now, self-care has been directly linked with de-stressing.

If you’re someone who practices self-care, you know this is one hundred percent true.

Self-care is all about contentment and peace. And stress is all about worries, overthinking, and wasting energy.

It’s like the two are antidotes to each other. If self-care kills stress, your stress, in turn, interrupts its process in a clever way.

Stressful thoughts are sticky.

They love attaching themselves to your brain, and anything that gets in their way, they resist with all their might.

Since self-care is an awesome way to bust your stress, your stress wouldn’t want you to practice it without butting in.

So how does it fight you?

By drowning you in a bucket full of guilt!

This means that stress might be one of the culprits behind your self-care guilt.

I say it’s all the more reason to practice self-care without an ounce of regret or guilt. You do want to beat that stress now, don’t you?

Related Post: 11 Amazing Habits Of People Who Never Take Stress

Some De-Stressing Activities For Self-Care

• Bubble bath
• 30 minutes of workout
• Meditation
• Sipping green tea
• Taking a nap
• Pure joy yoga

Don’t forget to check out: How To Master Emotional Self-Care (11 Important Ways)

7. It Makes You Kind

Did you know regular self-care can make you kinder? Now that’s one reason to stomp hard on your guilt.

You know that kindness isn’t something that’s held in. It’s one of the most positive traits a person can own, that makes the world a better place.

Kind people spread happiness where they go and act as sparks of light for sore eyes. They are people who everyone loves being around.

So, if self-care makes you kind, you have very valid reasons to expose yourself to this blessing.

Related: How To Be Kind To Yourself (15 Simple Ways)

Self-Care Practices That Make You Kind

• Keeping an emotional journal
• Playing with your cute pet
• Looking after your body
• Spending time in nature
• Talking to a kind friend (because kindness is infectious)

You’ll love reading: 21 Habits Of People Who Are Always Happy

Allow Yourself To Open Up To Self-Care

Prioritize yourself, because self-care is not selfish. It brings you inner strength and nurtures self-love, allowing you to take better care of others.

It is an awesome stress buster, and also brings kindness to the practitioner. In short, self-care is a birthright, not something that needs to be questioned every step of the way.

So, from now onward, chuck your guilty thoughts out the window, and let the freshness in. You deserve it more than you know.

What motivates you to indulge in a guilt-free self-care session? Leave a comment behind. I’d love to know your answer.