In a world where we are all so busy all of the time, there's been an uprising of the "self-care" ideology; "the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness." We have expressed the importance of mental and physical health and taking action to restore the pieces we lost in the midst of life's stress.

Saying no to a get-together or going to get your nails done, maybe even indulging in your favorite dessert and choosing not to feel guilty, these are all examples of ways we "treat ourselves." I love the idea of resetting and rewarding ourselves for the work we've done and while I am all about self-love and self-care, I think we have blurred the line between self-care and self-indulgence.

We start off with treating ourselves that one time, then again a few weeks down the road, and again the next week, and again the next day and all of a sudden we lose the meaning of treating ourselves and begin indulging ourselves. We stop saying no to what we want because we "deserve it." It was a hard day, I deserve this. It was an awesome day, I deserve this. I made it through today, I deserve this. We stop having a reason to earn it and slowly change our mindsets to think we deserve it when we desire it. Our cravings and desires no longer become rewarding but expected.

The practice of self-care and self-love really is beautiful. To be able to appreciate yourself and recognize all that you have done is important and being grateful helps you to see it as positive. But constantly praising ourselves for things we do leads us down a slippery slope. Yes, it's good to acknowledge and appreciate our goodness and ability to do so, but there's a difference between appreciating and constantly praising; the difference between getting an iced coffee because you aced that exam and getting an iced coffee every morning because you got out of bed.

My challenge to you is to reflect on your self-care rituals and determine if they are well deserved or just habits. Let's not let our desires and cravings turn into self-indulgence. Keep the beauty of treating yourself by being disciplined in how often you do it.