The real truth about self care…

What does self-care really mean?

Self-care has quietly been rebranded as indulgence. Luxury routines, optimisation hacks, and things to add to an already full calendar. But originally, self-care wasn’t about doing more at all. It emerged from healthcare and community contexts as a practice of regulation, self-autonomy, and sustainability. Ultimately supporting individuals so they can remain well, capable, and connected within the collective.

At its core, self-care was about maintaining nervous system capacity under pressure, not as a private luxury, but as a shared responsibility. When individuals are regulated, teams function better. Decision-making improves. Systems become more resilient. Self-care, in its original sense, was never separate from performance or community, it was what made both possible.

This is where breathwork and embodiment come in, not as wellness extras, but as practical tools. Embodiment is simply the ability to notice what’s happening in the body in real time. Breathwork is a fast, accessible way to shift from stress responses into clarity, presence, and resilience.

When leaders and teams learn how to:
- regulate stress before it escalates
- recover quickly after high demand
- respond rather than react
... self-care becomes a performance skill, not a luxury.

Real self-care in the workplace isn’t indulgent. It’s strategic. And it starts with the body.