Picture the scene: you’re off for a special day at the health spa. You have a whole series of wonderful sessions planned: a manicure, a pedicure, a sauna, a whirlpool bath, a deep tissue massage. (Ok, maybe two deep tissue massages.) Absolute heaven…
“About time,” you might think. “I’m in need of some self-care.”
‘Self-care’ is something you do to make yourself feel better when you’re ill or to stop yourself becoming ill.
But is your spa visit actually ‘self-indulgence’?
Technically speaking, it is. ‘Self-indulgence’ is defined as the act of allowing yourself to have or do anything that you enjoy.
However, it’s perhaps a sign of the times that the everyday usage has taken on a somewhat negative connotation, as though this kind of behaviour is somehow not permissible.
‘Indulge’, in the broader sense, means to allow yourself or another person to have something enjoyable. It particularly suggests that this ‘something’ is consumed in a greater quantity than is good for you/them.
“I love chocolate and I’m not afraid to indulge myself.”
“I’m not bothered about holidays in the sunshine, but I like to indulge my husband sometimes.”
‘Pamper’ is often used in a similar way. It actually means to give someone special treatment, making them as comfortable as possible and giving them whatever they desire.
“She pampers that dog of hers, it’s so spoilt.”
No wonder people have trouble associating the word with ‘self’ and references to ‘pampering’ yourself are often met with a frown.
The term is closely linked to ‘self-interest’.
Acting with ‘self-interest’ involves considering the advantage to yourself when making decisions. It involves deciding what’s best for you and, in usage, heavily implies that that’s the only thing you consider.
Lovely.
“She only ever acts in her own self-interest.”
Being ‘self-centered’, meaning you’re only interested in yourself and your own activities, is also used in this way.
“He really is in his own universe, he’s so self-centred he never considers anyone else.”
In fact, synonyms for ‘self-centred’ are the highly unflattering ‘egocentric’ and ‘egoistic’.
So are there any positive terms for treating yourself kindly?
One recent addition to the language is ‘me time’. This doesn’t carry such a weight of social judgement, implying as it does that such a time is rare and ‘snatched’.
‘Me time’ is not something to feel guilty about.
Hooray! It’s time for some self-respect.
Ok, and maybe also some serious bliss.
Ummmmmm…
Picture the scene: you’re off for a special day at the health spa. You have a whole series of wonderful sessions planned: a manicure, a pedicure, a sauna, a whirlpool bath, a deep tissue massage. (Ok, maybe two deep tissue massages.) Absolute heaven…
“About time,” you might think. “I’m in need of some self-care.”
‘Self-care’ is something you do to make yourself feel better when you’re ill or to stop yourself becoming ill.
But is your spa visit actually ‘self-indulgence’?
Technically speaking, it is. ‘Self-indulgence’ is defined as the act of allowing yourself to have or do anything that you enjoy.
However, it’s perhaps a sign of the times that the everyday usage has taken on a somewhat negative connotation, as though this kind of behaviour is somehow not permissible.
‘Indulge’, in the broader sense, means to allow yourself or another person to have something enjoyable. It particularly suggests that this ‘something’ is consumed in a greater quantity than is good for you/them.
“I love chocolate and I’m not afraid to indulge myself.”
“I’m not bothered about holidays in the sunshine, but I like to indulge my husband sometimes.”
‘Pamper’ is often used in a similar way. It actually means to give someone special treatment, making them as comfortable as possible and giving them whatever they desire.
“She pampers that dog of hers, it’s so spoilt.”
No wonder people have trouble associating the word with ‘self’ and references to ‘pampering’ yourself are often met with a frown.
The term is closely linked to ‘self-interest’.
Acting with ‘self-interest’ involves considering the advantage to yourself when making decisions. It involves deciding what’s best for you and, in usage, heavily implies that that’s the only thing you consider.
Lovely.
“She only ever acts in her own self-interest.”
Being ‘self-centered’, meaning you’re only interested in yourself and your own activities, is also used in this way.
“He really is in his own universe, he’s so self-centred he never considers anyone else.”
In fact, synonyms for ‘self-centred’ are the highly unflattering ‘egocentric’ and ‘egoistic’.
So are there any positive terms for treating yourself kindly?
One recent addition to the language is ‘me time’. This doesn’t carry such a weight of social judgement, implying as it does that such a time is rare and ‘snatched’.
‘Me time’ is not something to feel guilty about.
Hooray! It’s time for some self-respect.
Ok, and maybe also some serious bliss.
Ummmmmm…
.
Sunday, June 21, 2020
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Daily life words /
Practical words
