In an unexpected turn of events, Ava Roux’s self-care activities are starting to look a lot like excuses to self-sabotage her life, education, and career.
“Self-care is so important to me. After I had a breakdown when I failed my chem exam freshman year, I made it a priority to protect my sanity,” says Ava. “I’ve only got this one mind and one body, so that’s why I choose to just sort of do whatever.”
Sources suggest that Ava has actually been taking part in harmful behavior in the name of self-care.
“I definitely support Ava’s recent obsession with self-care, but I’m kind of worried about her,” says Maya Evans, Ava’s longtime friend. “After every tough exam she started rewarding herself with a glass of wine, which is fine, I guess, but then she started rewarding herself with a glass of wine any time she did anything difficult. One week she was up to a bottle a day.”
Sources add that just in the past week, Ava has cut off any friends who disagreed with her, stopped going to classes, and spent all her money on bubble tea because it made her feel good.
“With the world in such disarray, it is incredibly important to actively practice self-care,” says Ava’s therapist Dr. Wilcox. “From taking time off to rest, listening to music, or just enjoying a good film with friends, people have different ways of taking care of their mental health.”
“Obviously, I can’t break doctor-patient confidentiality,” Dr. Wilcox adds. “What I will say is, I often use Ava as an example to point out what self-care should never look like for my other patients.”
Despite the advice of family, friends, and trained professionals, Ava will continue to chase immediate gratification even if it is to the detriment of her long-term health.
“The best thing for my mental health is for me to be happy all of the time,” Ava says. “Life is so short. You’ve really got to live it like you’re going to die tomorrow.”
At press time, Ava broke up with her loving boyfriend of five years by text message because the way he ate cereal that morning reminded her of her ex who she hated.
