Most of us have jam-packed schedules, even on the weekends. We bounce back and forth between work, parent-teacher meetings, school and community functions, family obligations, and some form of social gathering or another. It’s not surprising that an overwhelming majority of adults in the United States suffer from stress.
One of the major sources of stress for Americans is work-related stress. This stress is often driven by concerns regarding job security, workload, co-worker/boss relational issues, and workplace violence among others, according to The American Institute of Stress. Another common stressor is the amount of work we do today compared to those employed decades ago. What’s more, in comparison to other nations, Americans surpass all when it comes to clocking hours at the workplace. On average, full-time employees work close to 50 hours a week, which equates to six working days a week. Let’s not forget entrepreneurs that balance a 9 to 5 schedule, when their business starts at 5:01. We also take far less vacations and retire later, too.
This trend leads one to ask, why do we do it?
Why We Put Ourselves Last
Many people in America hear the buzzword “self-care” and sneer. They see it as self-indulgence or selfishness. Beyond the semantics of being too focused on self, here are some other possible reasons people don’t prioritize self-care.
TIME
No one has the time to nurture themselves these days— at least that’s what you may think. You may assume self-care involves excessive pampering at the spa each week or quarterly vacations. You think, I’ve got too much to do to indulge myself that way.
COMPETITIVE CULTURE
Some may even view self-care as a weakness, as if needing to take good care of yourself somehow means you don’t measure up to others. America has an incredibly competitive culture: we want to have the biggest houses, flashiest cars, fittest bodies, and brightest kids. Setting aside time to nurture oneself probably doesn’t sound like the route to getting ahead to most people.
Why Self-Care is Essential
If you’ve ever heard the phrase, “you can’t pour from an empty cup,” then you know why self-care is so important. You simply cannot function at your absolute best if you’re not nurturing yourself mentally, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. Self-care isn’t selfish or self-indulgent. It’s critical to your survival.
When you care for your own needs first, you approach life with resources. You are better equipped to support friends and family. You can function better at school or work. You’ll feel more relaxed and pleasant when spending time with the kids or your partner. You won’t secretly resent others for placing demands on your time or energy because you won’t be running on empty. Self-care helps refill your tank so you can cope with stress and problems more effectively.
Contrary to what many believe, self-care doesn’t have to take up a lot of your schedule. In fact, you can feel totally replenished within just a few minutes of doing soothing activities, such as taking 5 minutes of taking in some fresh air or connecting with supportive friends or family. There are several practices that you can add to your busy schedule to create a sense of calm; what’s important is to find those that fit and work well for you.
Resources
https://www.stress.org/workplace-stress/
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2017/state-nation.pdf
https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Family-Members-and-Caregivers/Taking-Care-of-Yourself
