Cracking the code of self-care: translating eye-roll-inducing buzzwords into genuine well-being

Many of us actively seek opportunities to offer care, compassion, love and pleasure to others, but are much less comfortable receiving the same things. We are quite happy if an activity can be filed under the heading of self-preservation, but less so if it seems as if there is any possibility that it might be deemed self-indulgent. Some individuals also feel that the world of self-care and well-being has been hijacked by consumerism, but burnout is a genuine concern in healthcare. More than one-third of healthcare professionals report feeling exhausted, and 50% of physiotherapy students show high levels of perfectionism, a trait that is highly correlated with burnout. This paper discusses various strategies to address these issues.