SELF-CARE VS. SELFISHNESS IN A SELFIE WORLD By Ebony Hudson, LISW-CP, LCSW

Smile for the camera! That seems to be the motto for modern times. We live in a selfie world and truth be told; we love it! We love sharing our life in pictures, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Yet when I talk to people about the importance of self-care, they think the idea is one based on selfishness. So how do we help change the perspective that self-care is selfish when we live in a selfie world? So, let’s have a versus battle to clarify the difference and make sure we are taking care of ourselves as best as possible to be emotionally and mentally well.

Self-care says It is important to take good care of myself to best care for others VS selfishness that says I must look out for me, numero uno, with little to no thought about others.

Self-care realizes that I am part of various systems, like a car having various parts and if one mechanism is broken it can affect how the whole car runs VS selfishness that says I am the whole car, the only system that matters is me and how I affect other systems is irrelevant.

Self-care considers the things that are beneficial to me even if they are not always pleasant for me, i.e., exercise and healthy eating VS selfishness that says I want what I want when I want it and instant gratification is the only thing that matters.

Self-care realizes that it is a component of mental and emotional wellness VS selfishness that thinks everyone else is the problem and I have nothing to change.

When we talk about the need to be emotionally and mentally well, we must emphasize the importance of self-care. We must do those things that we both enjoy and that are beneficial to maintain wellness in all areas of our lives because sometimes it is lack of balance that impacts our mental health. Balance can make the difference between sadness vs depression, concern vs anxiety, caution vs paranoia, and hope vs hopelessness.

While selfies are fun and cool, the outside picture does not always match up with the inside turmoil. In a society where selfies are on the rise, but so is anxiety, depression, and suicide, we must never overlook the power of self-care to a balanced lifestyle and to stability in our mental health.?