What I’ve Learned About Self-Care: Sometimes, Doing Less Is More

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned about self-care is that it doesn’t always look the way we expect it to.

I used to think self-care had to be something active — a skincare routine, a workout, journalling, getting outside. Something I could tick off my list and feel good about doing. But I often found myself feeling more tired than refreshed, which felt completely backwards.

And while those things can absolutely be supportive, I realised they weren’t necessarily what I needed most at the time.

I started listening more closely to what my body was actually asking for, and when. Sometimes I needed movement or stimulation, but sometimes I needed the complete opposite. I needed to slow down, be still and simply receive.

I realised I didn’t need more doing — I needed more being.

Self-care became quieter, softer and more passive. Not another thing to achieve, but something to sink into. Massage, meditation, Yoga Nidra, rest — practices where I didn’t need to do anything or achieve anything. I could simply be present and let myself be looked after.

And it wasn’t until I stepped away from the constant doing — the mental load, the carrying, the feeling that I always needed to be productive — that I actually started to feel restored.

It made me realise that self-care isn’t one-size-fits-all. Sometimes we need to move, sometimes we need to create, and sometimes we simply need to stop.

Sometimes, there’s more in doing less.