Hello my Yellow Bees,
#Self-care may be trending now, but honestly, we’ve been living it since childhood. The only difference? Back then, our parents were the “self-care managers.”
Remember how your mom chased you around the house with a spoonful of chyawanprash? Or when she made you nap in the afternoon while you dramatically protested like you were missing out on the world’s most important cartoon? That was self-care, 90s edition. Dad reminding you to wear a cap in the sun (which you never did), carrying an extra sweater or keeping some cash in our pockets, “just in case”, classic parental hacks!
Cut to adulthood, and self-care looks… different. Now it is lighting a fancy candle, putting on a sheet mask, and convincing yourself this counts as “deep healing.” Or spending half your salary on a gym membership you visit once a month, because, hey, “investing in yourself.” Sometimes it is as simple as scrolling memes at midnight, or reaching out to that book you always wanted to read and calling it #mentalhealth.
The truth is, self-care hasn’t really changed. It is still about feeling cared for and slowing down. It’s just that now, no one is forcing us to drink turmeric milk. (Though maybe they should.) So maybe real self-care is a mix: keep the silliness, drop the guilt, and laugh while you try to adult. Keep the gentleness of what our parents taught us and add the awareness of what we’ve learned as adults. Personally, nothing screams “I love myself” more than oiling my hair on Sunday… except maybe ordering dessert on a Monday.