When I first heard about "self-care," I pictured bubble baths and wine nights with friends. I thought I had it covered. Turns out, I was missing the point entirely.

Your body can't tell the difference between a predator attack and a stressful email. That's the problem.

When stress gets unbearable, we run. Most of the time, we don't even realize we're doing it. Or we rationalize it: "I work hard, I deserve this!"

The running looks like: overeating, drinking too much, smoking, overworking, endless scrolling, constant phone checking, shopping for things we don't need, zoning out to TV for hours, going out to eat constantly, gambling. Insert your favorite vice here.

We all have an inner critic. Mine can be vicious. Sometimes she has valid points I can learn from. The trick is knowing when she's being helpful versus when she's just holding me back.