The article critiques the prevalent notion that self-care can remedy deep-rooted issues such as chronic overcommitment and perfectionism. It argues that relying on self-care as a solution leads to temporary relief from burnout, rather than addressing systemic changes needed in oneâs life. High-achievers often turn to self-care practices as a Band-Aid, masking the distress caused by their unsustainable lifestyles. The piece emphasizes that true well-being requires fundamental shifts rather than superficial interventions.
You lit the candle. You drank the matcha. You booked the massage. And still? You feel... hollow. Tired. Irritable. Over it. Welcome to the self-care spiral, where you keep trying to patch up pervasive burnout with a bubblebath.
But what if your problem isn't lack of rituals-it's that your life is built around over-functioning, perfectionism, or constantly proving your worth? According to Jen Veilleux (2023), engaging in behaviors that mask our distress is meant to be temporary.
Many of us use self-care to manage symptoms of a life we're too scared-or too exhausted-to change. We meditate, hydrate, and stretch because we're desperately trying to make our exhaustion more sustainable.
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