Self-Care and Self-Sabotage? How To Tell the Difference?

We all know the importance of taking care of ourselves both physically and mentally. But sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between self-care and self-sabotage. How do you know when you’re crossing that line? And more importantly, what can you do to stay on the right side?

In this post, we’ll explore the similarities and differences between self-care and self-sabotage, as well as provide some tips for how to maintain a healthy balance in your life.

Have you ever swayed yourself to do something for self-care? Let’s face it; we’ve all been in that situation.

The problem is that it’s frequently difficult to tell whether you’re being self-care or just being lazy. Rest is crucial, and many preach about taking pauses.

Still, it can be tough to know whether you genuinely need to take a break or if you should push through and finish what you’re working on.

It can feel impossible to tell whether you’re self-sabotaging or taking care of yourself. Especially when we confuse self-care with comfort food, retail therapy, and drinking too much.

But if you want to know the difference between self-care and self-sabotage, the following is a helpful breakdown.

What is Self-Care?

Self-care is a dynamic and strong way of engaging in the tasks required to achieve or maintain good health.

If this seems expensive or inconvenient, keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be. Simple exercises can help you improve your health without costing a lot of money or time.

You can’t set off taking care of yourself until you have more time or money.

When you ignore your needs, your brain, body, family, and self-esteem suffer.

It isn’t self-serving; it is necessary. True self-care entails going to the source of your fears or stressors and confronting them rather than avoiding them.

6 Facets of Self Care

Self-care has six multifaceted aspects, according to psychologists.

Each is intended to restore health and address the core causes of distress, rather than simply covering it up, as the concept’s original definition suggests:

#1. Physical self-care 

Include making an informed decision to take medication or understanding what brings you sexual satisfaction, exercise, and eating healthily.

#2. Emotional self-care

Feeling balanced requires identifying, embracing, and expressing your feelings.

#3. Spiritual self-care 

It is not limited to religion. Spiritual self-care, whichever you define it, is all about discovering what gives you a more profound sense of meaning and purpose.

#4. Intellectual self-care 

This includes critical thinking, pursuing fascinating ideas, and creativity.

Continuous learning and advancement are also essential aspects of intellectual self-care.

#5. Social self-care

Friendships should be nurtured, and family relationships should be robust. These are the bases of a happy life.

Instead of slaving away at your job, you may grab a coffee with coworkers.

It’s about honoring your social needs and being surrounded by people that appreciate you.

#6. Safety and security self-care

This includes taking care of your funds and planning ahead.

What is Self-Sabotage?

Self-sabotage is when you sabotage your own success.

Rather than external factors preventing you from achieving your goals, it indicates you are blocking yourself from reaching them.

You could go back into old patterns while you’re on the cusp of a breakthrough.

When something is challenging or uncertain, you may try to push yourself back into your comfort zone.

How Does Self-Sabotage Manifest Itself in Terms of Self-Care?

Self-care is critical for preserving your time and energy. Still, when you start calling anything self-care, it loses its effectiveness.

Suppose you don’t have a firm grasp on your own idea of self-care. In that case, you may persuade yourself that anything is acceptable.

At its most basic level, self-care entails activities and practices that we engage in daily to alleviate stress and improve our well-being.

Self-sabotage is defined as doing the exact opposite of what you require.

You can talk yourself out of self-care, convincing yourself that you don’t need it right now or should instead concentrate on your work.

Even with this knowledge, determining which activities are disguised as self-sabotage or self-care is challenging.

Let’s look at how you can determine the two apart.

3 Types of Perceived Self-Care

If we genuinely want to, we may call anything self-care; however, here are a few terms that people frequently use alternatively with self-care:

#1. Self-Soothing

Self-soothing is not a frivolous or insignificant activity. It’s great to unwind! It’s crucial to recognize when you’re self-soothing rather than self-caring.

Self-soothing entails little to no effort on your part and results in you feeling better somehow. It can provide relief, especially if you’ve had a very stressful day.

Getting a manicure or watching Netflix, for example. These hobbies may make you feel more relaxed, but they aren’t always going to help you discover peace or become a healthier person.

#2. Laziness

The trait of being unwilling to work or exert effort is laziness. Putting off a chore, especially one linked to self-care, because you don’t feel like it is an example of this.

Is it acceptable to be lazy? Not exactly if you’re trying to avoid something. Doing nothing isn’t always synonymous with being a slacker.

Relaxation can be beneficial if you make it a conscious effort. You’re free to relax and rejuvenate your mind and body.

#3. Self-Indulgence

Self-indulgence is the unrestrained or excessive fulfillment of one’s wishes. It’s a “treat yourself” mentality regarding self-indulgence.

There’s nothing wrong with pampering yourself now and then, but self-indulgence isn’t the same as proper self-care.

Here are some queries to ask yourself to enable you to become more mindful of your desires when making self-care decisions:

• Will my future self be grateful or suffer due to my current actions?
• Is it possible that I’m allowing my mind to get in the way of achieving what I truly need to do?
• Is it possible that I’m attempting to disconnect from myself?
• Will this decision improve my health?
• Is this a decision I’m making to get away from or avoid something?
• Will this decision assist me in lowering my stress levels?
• Is doing this going to make me feel better? Is it possible that I’ll feel even worse?

Healthy and happy people engage in activities that allow their brains to slow down and recharge.

Make a list of these items and strive to complete one of them every day.

Here are a few examples:

• Staying hydrated and drinking water
• Exercise (even if it’s only for ten minutes) makes you feel so much better.
• Meditation
• Eating regularly
• Using the silent mode on your phone
• Supplementing your diet
• Having fun with your pets
• Having a conversation with close pals

Try incorporating one new self-care technique into your daily routine and observe how you feel.

It’s likely to make you feel good about yourself and encourage you to participate in additional activities that will help you enhance your mental and physical health.

Self-care and self-sabotage are easy to confuse because they appear to be self-focused actions.

The difference lies in the underlying motives behind each step.

When you choose that ultimately harms yourself, it’s probably driven by fear or a feeling of unworthiness.

Caring for yourself is not always easy, but it is vital.

Self-care allows your mind and body to function better, so you can face challenges with more tremendous enthusiasm and strength.

Being proactive about your self-care is one of the best things you can do for yourself and those around you.

The key to this whole thing is awareness.

Become aware of your choices, and then choose the one that will help you be the best version of yourself.

It can be tough to tell the difference between self-care and self-sabotage, but it’s important to be able to identify which habits are helpful and which ones are harmful.

If you’re not sure where to start, consult a therapist or counselor who can help you figure out what’s best for you.

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With a little bit of guidance, it’s possible to find balance in your life and learn how to take care of yourself in healthy ways.

Thanks for following along on our exploration of self-care!