The Realization That Might Forever Change Your Definition of Self-Care
A surprising hack to get the most out of your work (and life)
A couple of days back, I was invited to be the guest of a podcast series to talk about my journey as a blogger and published author.
One of the questions the interviewer asked me was, “You get so much work done. How do you fit self-care into your schedule?”
She was right. I have a full-time day job and a part-time PhD. Apart from that, I have published three books and have finished the first draft of my fourth. I have also undertaken a “30 days, 30 articles” challenge on Medium.
This question got me thinking: how was I getting so much work done without burning out?
It took a while, but when the realization dawned on it, it was akin to looking up while walking down a busy street and realizing the sky above is so beautiful; only you hadn’t seen it because you were so preoccupied with your phone.
Redefining self-care
Self-care is all about caring for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. In my opinion, you are caring for yourself the best when you commit yourself to reaching the full potential you believe you’re capable of.
In other words, when you are doing the work you love, there is no need to take breaks, or baths with scented candles to care for your health.
The euphoria of accomplishments will take care of your emotional and spiritual health.
As for your physical health, walking 10,000 steps each day, drinking a lot of water, and sleeping for eight hours each night is all the work you need.
Of course, this level of dedication was possible because of the Covid19-induced lockdown that pressed the “pause” button on my day job and my PhD.
Writing lets me be my own boss. And when you control what you do, all the happiness of a job well done belongs solely to you. This helped me come to this life-changing epiphany:
When you do what you love, the only self-care you need is the commitment to see yourself through to the top.
The myth of work-life balance
When your work becomes your life, the obsessive need for having a “work-life balance” fades away. Your strive to reach the top consumes you and burns in you with a fiery zeal that forces you to keep bettering yourself day after day.
When your motivation is fed by the euphoria of your accomplishments, your definition of self-care changes.
And that is how you get the most out of your work, as well as your life.
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