Self-care is essential to our well-being, but not all self-care is created equal. There are two distinct approaches: hedonistic self-care and eudaemonic self-care. While both aim to improve our quality of life, they do so in very different ways. Understanding the difference between these approaches - and learning when to embrace each - can empower you to craft a more balanced, fulfilling life. You’ll recognise the first one as it’s what most of us think of as self-care.
Hedonistic Self-Care: The Pursuit of Pleasure
Hedonistic self-care is all about seeking immediate pleasure, comfort, and sensory satisfaction. It focuses on creating experiences that feel good in the moment and offer instant relief from stress. But the impact of the actions is often short lived and temporary. This form of self-care tends to be activities that indulge the senses and provide a quick boost in mood.
Some examples of Hedonistic Self-Care:
• Pampering Rituals: Think of a long, hot bath with your favourite bubble bath, or a spa day, or getting your nails done. These acts are all about physical comfort and immediate relaxation – and are great!
• Culinary Indulgence: My personal favourite. Things like enjoying a decadent dessert, savouring a speciality coffee (I love this), or cooking a special meal (or even indulging in the whole bag of Sensations (other crips and snacks are available) – that’s me again) can be a delightful experience that momentarily lifts your spirits.
• Entertainment and Leisure: Binge-watching your favourite TV series, spending an evening at a concert, or engaging in gaming. This gives you an escape and an instant mood boost.
• Retail Therapy: Sometimes, treating yourself to something new (or for me it’s a book, or several!), maybe a new outfit or a gadget. This can offer a fleeting sense of satisfaction and excitement often all from the comfort of your armchair while engaging in entertainment and leisure with a culinary indulgence! Triple whammy!
• Short Getaways: A weekend trip to a scenic destination, a day at the beach, or a short walk in nature can rejuvenate your body and mind, even if only temporarily.
The key feature of hedonistic self-care is that it prioritises immediate gratification. It’s highly effective at providing quick relief and boosting short-term happiness. However, because these experiences are fleeting, they may not contribute to a deep or lasting sense of fulfilment over time.
I remember noticing a Twitter post (as it was then – before it was Musked) from a husband of a social worker who was (rightly so in many way) sounding off that a Team Manager had emailed his Team and suggested they make sure to self-care at the weekend by doing something like baking a cake. Now, I’m sure this was well intentioned from the manager, but you can imagine how it must have looked from the husband of the social worker who watched his wife work long hours alongside the emotional toll and labour of the profession. He was not best pleased and mentioned so! There are two points here. Hedonistic self-care is a good thing. Baking a cake and then eating the cake is a therapeutic endeavour for some (depending on how good you are at it and therefore avoiding the potential for a level of frustration!) and would provide some distraction and a level, for a period of time, of relief. But secondly, it does not solve the bigger picture, often systemic, problem. In terms of our personal endeavours there is a more effective path for the long-term.
Eudaemonic Self-Care: The Path to Flourishing
In contrast to hedonistic self-care, eudaemonic self-care is centred on long-term personal growth, meaning, and fulfilment. The term “eudaimonia” comes from the Greek, signifying a state of “good spirit” or flourishing. This approach to self-care is not only about momentary pleasure; it’s about engaging in activities that cultivate personal development, and a deep sense of purpose. What does that mean? Well, here are some examples.
Examples of Eudaemonic Self-Care:
• Pursuing Meaningful Goals: Dedicating time to work on a passion project, learning a new skill, or pursuing higher education can be challenging but ultimately contributes to a long-term sense of accomplishment.
• Mindfulness and Meditation: Regular practices such as meditation, yoga, or journaling help build inner resilience, foster self-awareness, and cultivate emotional balance over time.
• Volunteering and Community Engagement: Contributing to your community through volunteer work or mentoring others can create a profound sense of purpose, connecting your well-being to the welfare of those around you.
• Personal Reflection and Growth: Engaging in reflection, reflective, inspiring, or challenging reading, or participating in self-improvement workshops can help you understand your values, set meaningful goals, and align your actions with your inner self – your identity.
• Developing Healthy Routines: Establishing habits that promote long-term health - like regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and adequate sleep builds a foundation for sustained well-being. Even if these practices require discipline and sacrifice in the short term (and they do), they yield lasting rewards.
Eudaemonic self-care is less about the immediate “feel-good” factor and more about creating a life that is rich in meaning and aligned with your true values. These activities might not offer the instant gratification of hedonistic pleasures, because they are often hard to start with, but they foster a deeper sense of satisfaction and self-worth that endures.
There are two ‘ways’ we need to be happy. We need to be happy ‘in our life’ and ‘with our life’. Being happy ‘in your life’ is about those moment to moment, day to day things that bring us pleasure and are ideally rooted in meaning. Being happy ‘with your life’ is about the long term and is all about meaning and purpose.
Finding the Balance
Neither approach is inherently superior. Both have their place in a well-rounded self-care care plan. Hedonistic self-care can provide the necessary breaks and boosts that keep you energised throughout your day, while eudaemonic self-care builds the long-term resilience and fulfilment that underpin a truly happy life.
For instance, you might start your day with a quick meditation session (eudaemonic) to set a grounded, purposeful tone for the day. Later, treat yourself to a delicious, indulgent lunch (hedonistic) to lift your spirits. In the evening, spend time on a passion project or volunteer work (eudaemonic) that nurtures your sense of purpose and contributes to your long-term growth.
Social work is marked by emotional intensity and often deep commitment to others, making self-care not a luxury but a necessity. Integrating both hedonistic and eudaemonic self-care practices throughout the day can provide a balanced approach that nourishes immediate well-being and fosters long-term resilience.
For hedonistic self-care, which focuses on immediate pleasure and relief, you could incorporate small but impactful practices into their daily routines. This might include taking a short walk outside between visits or at lunch time to enjoy fresh air and sunlight, listening to uplifting music during a quick break, or even savouring a favourite snack mindfully (not just ‘wolfing it down’ – that’s aimed at me again!) These moments of sensory indulgence provide quick boosts in mood and energy, helping to counterbalance the emotional toll of working with trauma and distress. Additionally, simple pleasures like enjoying a well-made cup of coffee or spending a few minutes in a quiet, comfortable space, maybe focusing on your breathing, can serve as reminders that taking care of yourself is just as important as caring for others.
In contrast, eudaemonic self-care is rooted in long-term growth, meaning, and the development of a resilient inner life. This form of self-care involves practices that build a deeper sense of purpose and fulfilment. Surely as social workers we have a sense of purpose at work? And surely, we often, in our engagement with people, feel professionally fulfilled? Engaging in reflective journaling or mindfulness meditation can help process complex emotions and foster self-awareness. Attending regular supervision or peer support groups offers a space to share experiences and gain insights, reinforcing professional values and personal growth. Setting aside time for continuous learning - whether through reading, attending workshops, or exploring new therapeutic approaches – will help to ensure that you remain inspired and connected to the broader ‘mission’ of your work. These things, although they may not provide immediate sensory gratification, contribute to a lasting sense of well-being that will sustain you over the long term.
By blending these two approaches, you can create a self-care routine that meets both the urgent need for immediate relief and the deeper necessity for personal development. The hedonistic practices provide those necessary moments of joy and rest, while eudaemonic practices build a resilient foundation that helps you remain effective, empathetic, and inspired in the face of daily challenges. A balanced self-care strategy not only enhances personal well-being but also enriches the quality of service delivered to the people and communities you serve. In turn that fosters a sense of happiness ‘in’ and ‘with’ your life.
The challenge - and opportunity - is to recognise when you need the immediate uplift of hedonistic self-care and when you need the transformative power of eudaemonic self-care. When you integrate both approaches, you create a sustainable strategy for overall well-being - one that takes care of your present needs and invests in your future happiness. Self-care is not about escaping reality but about enhancing your capacity to engage with it fully.
This article is a chapter taken from Stephen’s book Pillars of Success for Social Workers: Small steps in a complex world. While it’s aimed at Social Workers it is useful for anyone working in a person facing or office based environment. You can buy it here: Pillars of Success for Social Workers
If you like what I do you can click the link below and “buy me a coffee”.
