What the hell is self care?

You hear it all the time in the yoga world. When you are in the fire of transformation, self care is essential. I just read an article that when dating, we often are dealing with deep seated beliefs that head us off in the wrong relationships. The answer, self care, self love and appreciation.
What the hell does that mean?
Right diet? Well if you are an eating disorder survivor like me, having the discipline to even pay attention can be hard. And not beating yourself up when you haven't is even harder.
Is it a massage, pedicure, new clothes? If you are in the midst of financial insecurity, how do you afford it?
Perhaps it is Self with the capital S? Sitting on your cushion often feels more like torture than self care.
Is it connecting with others? How do you do that when you feel so disconnected?

I can tell you that self care for me means getting out in nature with my dogs who love a good romp in the woods. It means going to a climbing gym and talking to a stranger, offering them help sequence a route.
Sometimes it is actually teaching my yoga class with a real intention to serve them.

For me, self care is not something I do for me... it is something I do for someone else.