By Mattie Albert Gullixson
It’s a new year and for many of us that means new resolutions. Most resolutions center around taking better care of ourselves mentally, emotionally and physically. Social media algorithms know this, too. That’s why stress management and selfcare articles keep popping up on my computer.
What’s selfcare? Glad you asked.
On the continuum of your physical, mental, & spiritual health, think of selfcare as one end and typical healthcare providers (physicians, dieticians, trainers, etc.) the other. Selfcare is what you do to help you be the best you can be.
Selfcare doesn’t mean selfishness, but it does require some self-reflection, self-awareness, and self-analysis—all of which are more difficult than they sound!
These are things increasingly promoted by the medical community for treating the health of the whole person. The message is included in work wellness workshops – heck you can even buy t-shirts with the slogan!
Here’s the rub: Selfcare means individuals making choices for themselves, about themselves, basically taking responsibility for improving their own well-being. Yet, we live in a world where it is easier and easier to let other people make choices for us.
We’ve got social media algorithms that advertise things we didn’t even know we wanted. And what about regulations? Some are there because we collectively agreed that someone else should be responsible for the provision or protection of something, and others are there because some people don’t trust individuals to make choices for themselves. Don’t forget the regulations in between that make it hard to tell what the true motives are.
Clearly, the whole idea of selfcare requires a kind of reorientation in how we think. If you truly want to take better care of yourself, it’s going to mean being bold – committing to and thinking for yourself. Making choices for yourself. Taking responsibility for everything that is yours.
And all of that sure sounds like becoming a free marketeer!
Think about it: All of the things a self-care lifestyle promotes are made possible in a political economy in which the individual is the driver of her own time, her own wealth creation, and the choice about how to use her own wealth.
Most people in highly regulated economies don’t have the time or space to think about how they’re going to practice self-care. Those on the ragged edges of poverty in socialist economies are working so hard for the “common good”—and to provide lavish lifestyles for socialist leaders—they don’t have the time or space to practice self-mindfulness.
In fact, in many collectivist societies, focusing any attention upon one’s self is frowned upon, even punishable by law in some instances.
Selfcare is also predicated on the idea that those who take care of themselves are better able to care for others. And isn’t this really why a free market economy works so well?
As more people become more productive, there are more things that others value. If they want those things they have to have something to trade, which means they need to be productive as well. Productivity by some incentivizes productivity by others.
When more of us are producing more that is valued by others, we can better take care of our own needs and we are better able to help those we love and care about. It’s no secret that wealthy nations give much more than poor nations.
And nothing leads to greater wealth creation than individuals who are free to keep what they create, free to make their own choices, and free to use their own property however they please. This is also the recipe for selfcare: Make your own choices and take care of yourself so that you are strong and healthy and can take care of those who need your help.
So, this new year, as you embark on a journey to take better care of yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically, I hope you not only succeed, but that you also remember that in doing so you’re living the free market lifestyle so many in the world wish they had.
Mattie the not-so-snowflake millennial is a young lover of liberty whose interests in political economy, the Middle East, and government have taken her to Washington DC, Egypt, Oxford, and now back home to Colorado. While in Egypt, Mattie saw tyranny with her own eyes. Since then, she has been passionate about rebranding free markets as the primary strategy for recapturing the desire for freedom among young people and fueling a new era of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
