I’d like to propose a moratorium on advertising a product with the phrase “self-care” effectively immediately.

By all means, let’s care for ourselves. Let’s commit to the activities and the relationships that make us feel our most healthy, vital, and purposeful. Let’s limit our expenditure of time and energy on things that make us feel terrible.

But self-care, like self-respect and self-confidence, is intangible. Every time we impulse buy yet another eyeshadow palette or scented candle because #selfcare, we end up contributing not to our health and wellness but to our cortisol-raising clutter.

We all already know what true self-care entails: sleeping and eating better, exercising, communicating our needs and boundaries, utilizing our strengths through work or volunteering, eliminating clutter, learning and creating.

And we can make purchases towards those ends, but of services rather than stuff.

We can purchase a session with a psychologist, a personal trainer, a financial planner, an organizer, a massage therapist, an instructor.

The difference is that in making these kinds of purchases, we don’t accumulate a bunch self-care gear, but we do dedicate time for our needs and goals.