TREAT YO SELF

If you’ve never witnessed any of the “Treat Yo Self” moments from Parks and Rec, please do us all a favor and go look them up.

Now, for the rest of us already cultured people, it’s time to focus on the fact that she’s not wrong. Yes, the bits often focus on outlandish things to “treat yo self” with, but the principle is the same. You are worth it, so act like it.

There’s really not a good way to talk about this without cliches, but I’ll do my best.

Nobody else will do it for you. Even if you have a person or a partner who fills up your soul like no one else can, they can’t be expected to do it all the time. Plus, you should probably look up co-dependence and enmeshment if that’s your expectation and maybe do something about that. SO – since nobody else will all the time (in normal, healthy relationships), you’ve got to do it for yourself.

It’s not selfish. That’s it. Either believe me or don’t.

It’s not “self-care”TM, it’s Maintenance. This was a game changer for me when it was explained like this. You’re not giving in to some craze, you’re not buying in to some fad. True self-care, aka care of your self, is maintenance. Just like care for your car is maintenance and actually a requirement to keep it running and not a luxury (Yes, privilege is checked – this metaphor doesn’t apply to all but just roll with me), self-care is required to keep you running too.

So What? Even if it was selfish, a fad, or you have someone to do it for you all the time – porque no las dos? (Old El Paso tacos – why not both?”). Basically, even if all that were true (which it’s not) – who says you can’t do something nice for yourself for the sake of doing something nice for yourself? Channel your inner P!nk and sing So What at the top of your lungs.

Alright, long story short – just do it, take care of yourself in whatever way that means for you and to anyone who would judge you (even yourself) tell them kindly Forget You (Cee Lo Green’s not for radio version).