How Self-Care and Community Care Work Together

We’ve looked at self-care. We’ve looked at community care. But here’s the truth: it isn’t about choosing one over the other. We need both.

Self-care keeps you grounded. It’s what steadies you when the world feels overwhelming. Community care keeps you connected. It’s what reminds you that you don’t have to carry it all alone.

And when these two come together, something powerful happens.

I learned this when I stopped waiting until after bedtime to take my baths. I started bathing with my child instead. At first, I worried it wouldn’t feel the same. How could I relax if there were toys floating around and little hands splashing? But something shifted. I still had my bubbles, my scrubs, my rituals. But now, there was also laughter. Connection. Bonding

It was care for me, and care for them. A shared ritual that nourished us both in different ways.

That’s the magic of bringing self-care and community care together. Your rituals don’t have to be separate. They can overlap. They can feed both your needs and someone else’s.

It could look like:

• Lighting candles and sharing tea with a partner after a long day.
• Taking turns with a friend to create space for each other’s rest.
• Cooking something nourishing together, instead of separately.
• Gifting someone the ritual that grounds you, so they can feel it too.

When we start thinking this way, self-care stops being a solo performance and becomes part of a wider rhythm. A rhythm that reminds us we are both individuals and part of a whole.

Because the truth is, care doesn’t have to be perfect or polished. It doesn’t have to be long or Instagram-worthy. It just has to be intentional.

Self-care keeps you grounded. Community care keeps you connected. Together, they remind us that we’re not just surviving, we’re living, feeling, sharing. And those small, intentional pauses, whether alone or together are often the ones that stay with us the longest.