A far too common misconception about self-care is that it is greedy, self-indulgent, or selfish. However, self-care is far better than assuming that others are only here for you and that they or you don’t deserve personal care in all areas of life. You can’t expect happiness to come from other people, it has to come from you.
Implementing proper self-care is vital to achieving happiness. Self-care is simply living your life as healthy as possible to provide sustainable happiness and long life. So don’t be victim to this common myth and avoid the self-care you need to achieve a happier and healthier life.
Here are the crucial differences between self-care and selfishness:
Self-care is Personal but Not Self-Serving
In other words, the purpose is not to take from others to benefit you. Personal goals allow you to grow and develop into the best person you want to be without harming or taking from those around you. On the other hand, selfishness outlines a desire to take from others to achieve your goals. Thus, with selfishness, someone comes out on top, while with self-care, everyone benefits.
Self-Care Is Generous, Not Transactional
Self-care includes having compassion and empathy for those around you. It’s about giving or helping those in need to socialize and bond with others, feel good, and have a sense of purpose. It’s about including time with others, not just only time for yourself.
Selfishness is always transactional, to gain more while someone else receives less or only offers help in exchange for something tangible or worthwhile.
Self-care is Strength, Not Uncertainty
Self-care is about building self-confidence and being proud of who you are in all areas of life. Selfishness is rooted in insecurity. It’s looking at what everyone else has and expecting the world to offer it to you.
Self-care is Happiness, Not Misery
Self-care is about achieving happiness. It’s installing habits that allow you to fulfill your full desires in life while being mentally, emotionally, and physically strong or healthy. Selfishness is dwelling and wondering why everyone else has what they don’t. It’s doing whatever you can only to ensure you get what you need and ignoring others around you, destroying relationships in its path.
Truly, there is no reason to support the idea that self-care is a selfish act. It is far from it. To live a long life with health and happiness, you must implement it. Not only will you benefit, but your friends, colleagues, and loved ones around you will too. Selfishness is about getting what you want regardless of how those around you are affected self-care is not. Self-care must include empathy, compassion, and generosity to succeed.