Most of us treat our bodies like background equipment.
As long as they keep going, we keep piling on.
More emails.
More late nights.
More “I’ll rest when this is over.”
The old pattern says self-care is a reward for when you finally deserve it.
Or a luxury for people with less on their plate.
But your nervous system does not work that way.
It is keeping score in real time.
Sleep you skipped.
Meals you rushed.
Stress you never let move through.
Self-care is not selfish.
It is basic maintenance for a system that is carrying your whole life.
When you start to treat rest, food, movement, and connection as non-negotiable, everything else sits on a steadier ground.
You think more clearly.
You react less sharply.
You have more to give without hollowing yourself out.
Love, here, is the decision to include yourself in the circle of people you care for.