Self-Care and Image
“If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams, and you will always look lovely.”
This quote may have been taken from one of Roald Dahl’s most famous children’s stories, but the sentiment is entirely adult and relates almost exclusively to the link between image and the way you feel and take care of yourself.
Self-care has become somewhat of a buzzword over the last decade or so, and while this has left to an increase in businesses and experts who claim to have answers to help us support and look after our own self-care, it has also meant that some of the most basic elements of self-care have been overridden by fashionable and trendy “wellness activities”.
Yoga is one such example. Once upon a time yoga was purely an activity which supported a healthy lifestyle, helped to keep the body lean and flexible and allowed the user to focus on their own thoughts and their body for an hour or so. Now it has become an award presented by workplaces to staff as a free activity, has gained a mass following as a weight loss tool used by celebrities, and is the kind of thing that people say they do in order to feel good about themselves and their body.
Which leads us to ask, what IS self-care and how does it relate to image in the 21st century?
What is self-care
Self-care is a focus on yourself and what makes you feel happy and balanced.
Self-care is NOT weight loss, dieting, and forcing yourself into doing things that don’t serve your goals or make you feel happy.
Self-care and its effect on Image
When you do things that make you feel balanced and positive with your life, then your image will change to reflect that. We have already shared with you a number of resources which tap into the idea that when you know what activities you do and what goals you have, your image becomes easier to define and your closet becomes interlinked with your lifestyle. And self-care is just one part of that – using those definitions and chosen garments to serve your goals and activities and doing so in a way that supports the balance of your life.
And self-care isn’t just about what you do for yourself. It’s also about the way you interact with others and the relationships you have, both in your personal and your professional life; it lies in the way you treat your body; it even taps into the focus and energy you channel into each individual area of your life.
In order to practice full self-care and really benefit your own wellbeing, you first need to know where you are starting from. As you start to unpick each area of your life and how content you are with that area right now, you will find links between your focus points and your image – and might just uncover a few ways in which a change in image or attitude could impact your life balance and overall happiness.
