Int’l Self-Care Day is July 24th. How Low-Cost Can Self-Care Be?

International Self-Care Day is July 24^th. Self-care often connotes self-indulgence and pampering. You see frequent and tempting images of facials, $1,000 spa packages and what some people call “retail therapy,” which are meant to be prime examples of it. The self-care industry is delighted by that. Providers of self-care services make more money! Some of us who live on college student budgets make different choices.

The costly choices seem to be the most publicized. Friends have described the need for massages, which I assume are beyond my budget.

According to an answer to my question about revenue in the wellness industry from Perplexity.ai, “the U.S. self-care industry is valued at approximately $41.2 billion as of recent years, with projections of reaching over $81 billion by 2023, depending on the subcategories and definitions included. This figure typically refers to consumer products specifically marketed for self-care, such as skincare, wellness apps, supplements, and digital resources12.”

Those $ billions are the beacon of one facet of America. Among some people, America is about spending, status objects and greed. In the 1987 film “Wall Street” Gordon Gekko affirmed that unfortunate pillar of American culture. Greed has not left the culture. And in the 2020s and, especially after the season of Covid, self-care gets more attention in our culture. This, particularly given the ubiquity of social media which have addictive content and ads.

If you need to be frugal, even painfully so, self-care can be no-cost. I suppose a few people notice the low-cost choices?

The thing is that self-care done well oughtn’t break the bank or add to your debt in order to make you feel good and enjoy the simpleness of life. The gist of self-care is to treat yourself with love and kindness, and a positive and balanced mindset. Meditating, doing yoga, doing creative writing or something else artistic are among the ways to put your wits and attitude on a calm “channel”.

On the flip side of spa services, self-care can be the ugly and sweaty choices. In my life I ride a bicycle a few times per week in order to do errands. And I lift weights and do yoga and Pilates during most weeks. Recent research shows that a commitment to regular weight training, bicycling, running or other activity helps to maintain mental wellbeing.

Another simple example of self-care has you call that friend whom you’ve lost touch with. You miss him or her; and he or she is too embarrassed to call. Why not take the initiative to be sociable? Refresh that connection to someone whose company energizes you.

You don’t need a spa session or (hopefully not) “retail therapy” to energize or calm you. Those who think they do miss the purpose of self-care.