Self-care is not selfish. That simple but tricky truth props up Anna Borges's delightfully easy-to-digest A-to-Z resource The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care. As the self-help and wellness industries have become highly commercial, Borges, a mental health advocate and senior health editor at SELF, urges readers to tear themselves away from the advertisements and return to a fundamental principle: people must take necessary care of their bodies so those bodies can function and care for others.
With humility, humor and a keen understanding that the practice is difficult, if not impossible, for marginalized communities, Borges lays out dozens of methods for self-care, thereby directing readers to options rather than instructing them in exactly what they must choose. Throughout the book, she scatters anecdotes from real-world interviews that demonstrate exactly why every human from every background deserves their own curated routine.
In a volume that can be read in one quick sitting or scooped up as a handy resource, Borges asks questions that are meaningful without becoming demanding: "If you were being your happiest self--not the one you beat yourself up for not being, not some idealized version of yourself who does everything perfectly--how would you spend your week? Write it down, down to the hour." By erasing the stigma around health and self-nurturing, Borges strips the buzzword of its buzz and reminds readers that true self-care is not always easy, comfortable and accompanied by scented candles. True self-care takes work. But Borges makes that work a little bit easier--and a lot more accessible. --Lauren Puckett, freelance writer