Self-care - wenn the outside world gets too loud

It’s okay to just be today

Sometimes I only notice it when it's already too much.

When thoughts run too fast, days get too full, paths feel too long.

When the heart grows quiet because the mind is thinking too loud.

Self-care sounds gentle – almost like a Sunday in bed,

with warm light and no obligations.

But often, it’s uncomfortable.

It means saying no when others expect yes.

It means stopping, even when the world outside shouts: “Go on!”

And admitting: Right now, I need me.

Since we’ve been on the road, I thought it would get easier.

More time, more nature, more freedom.

And yes – that’s true.

But responsibility comes along for the ride.

Decisions, logistics, everyday life in a new rhythm.

Self-care in a van doesn’t just mean finding a quiet place.

It means not losing yourself between all the moving, planning, arriving.

It means looking honestly:

Am I truly tired – or just used to pushing through?

Do I really want this – or am I just functioning again?

And sometimes, it hurts.

Like when friends invite you – friends you haven’t seen in a long time.

An outdoor gathering, a weekend together, laughter, conversations, music.

Everything in me says: That would be lovely.

And yet, something else whispers: Not now.

Because my nerves are too thin for small talk.

Because the repeated questions about vanlife feel more draining than connecting.

Because the loud music, the alcohol, the sensory overload – would be too much.

And because, in that moment, self-care means:

Not going.

Not because I don’t care –

but because right now, I need me.

I’m learning to stop justifying my pauses.

Learning that doing nothing isn’t laziness – it’s space for myself.

Learning that my energy is not endless – and that I don’t have to lose it to appreciate it.

Self-care is quiet, too.

It hides in small things:

In a coffee without hurry.

In a walk without a goal.

In a sentence I tell myself: “It’s okay to just be today.”

Maybe that’s the deepest kind of care:

To not only treat yourself kindly when it's almost too late –

but to be good to yourself before that.

Because wherever we go –

I remain.

And maybe right now is the moment

to pause,

to take a deep breath,

and to ask yourself:

Are you taking good care of you?