Why You Shouldn’t Feel Bad About Making Yourself A Priority
Stop for a second, take a breath, and ask yourself: “What makes me feel connected to myself?“ Maybe it’s reading, writing, yoga, meditation, or being in nature. It can be anything that helps you to recharge yourself.
You will realize that it is often the simple things and yet, it is exactly these simple things that fill up your cup with energy, which is WHY it is important to integrate them into your daily routine, even if it’s only 10 minutes per day. Why? Because you deserve it!
It is easy to get lost in the day-to-day activities and stresses of the external world. Oftentimes, we want to take care of ourselves, but it takes a back seat and we put others first. We invest a great deal of time and energy in others but struggle with guilt if we claim time for ourselves. It is normal to feel disconnected from ourselves.
Remember the quote: “You can’t pour from an empty cup.“
So the question becomes: How to fill your cup back up? How does self-care help to top up your energetic cup?
It grounds you, helps to clear your mind, and reconnects you to your heart.
It will have a positive impact on everything in your life. If you feel happy, content, and recharged, you vibrate higher and your friends and family will feel it. Your decisions will come from a place of love rather than fear. You will naturally be more accepting and compassionate to yourself and others.
It’s a way to get to know yourself better. What moves you? What drives you? What scares you? Time with yourself can help you to get to know yourself on a deeper level. It creates the space needed to remove the layers that block you from seeing your deeper self! It helps you to become more aware of your needs, hopes, and dreams.
Show up for yourself! It can feel empowering to make space for yourself daily. It is a sign of self-respect and self-love. You are setting boundaries and protecting your own energy when you choose to show up for yourself daily. Keep in mind: The relationship with yourself is the most important one that you will ever have. It needs to be nourished like any other relationship in your life.
Your physical health will benefit. If you make time for yourself, your overall awareness will increase which can lead to better life-choices. You will be more in tune with yourself and what your body needs.
How do you integrate it into your day?
Schedule it! When you schedule things, you are more likely to do them.
Put your alarm earlier. Your morning sets the tone for the day ahead. If you can fill your morning with something that makes you feel good, you will benefit from it throughout the day. Even 15 minutes that you usually don’t have will give you more time to sit down, drink your coffee quietly, and read something that inspires you!
Date yourself. I once read the book The Artist Way by Julia Cameron, where she suggested scheduling a date with yourself once a week. On that “date,“ you can do anything you feel like doing—visit an exhibition, go for a hike, eat out in a restaurant, it can be anything. It should help you get deeper in touch with yourself, refresh, make space for self-exploration and creativity.
Write little reminders. Remind yourself to take time for yourself. You could place stickers in your house that say “go out for a walk“ or “yoga practice at 9 a.m.“ Simple reminders can help you not to skip your self-care practice. Reminders on your phone will work as well, but something handwritten can be beautiful as it’s so rare nowadays.
Stay in the now. Try to practice to be more aware and bring yourself back to the now wherever you are. The mind is mostly in the past or future, but rarely in the now. How can you bring yourself back to the now? Focus on your breath. You can include a breathing exercise, like inhale for five seconds and exhale for 10; concentrate on the inner aliveness of your body, feel your heartbeat and vibrancy in your body; feel your feet on the ground. The body is a powerful instrument that is always present, whereas the mind is not. Connect to your body to become more present!
Things to keep in mind.
Self-care isn’t selfish.
Being selfish means that you only have your own advantage in mind and eventually hurt or harm other people with your actions, whereas self-care is to replenish yourself without causing damage to another person. Like I mentioned above, self-care is necessary to build strength from within and therefore have more energy to give to others. Never forget that you are allowed to choose yourself, you are allowed to take good care of yourself and you are allowed to be alone with yourself!
There is no right or wrong way; do whatever makes you feel good.
What do you crave? What warms your heart? What makes you smile? What brings you joy? Let go of judgment and comparison and trust your inner wisdom—you know what is best for you!
Doing nothing is also doing something.
You don’t necessarily have to do something to recharge yourself. Sometimes just sitting, breathing, and JUST BEING is enough! Doing nothing can be a powerful practice when living in a world that is full of sensory overload and distractions.
It’s okay if you don’t feel at your best every day.
Every day is different, filled with challenges, experiences, and different circumstances. You will have stressful days where you feel tired, exhausted, and feel like doing nothing… and that’s okay! In these moments, you should have compassion for yourself as you would have for a family member or friend. The goal is not to be perfect, it is to thrive, to grow, to take good care of yourself, to give it your best and ENJOY life!
These guidelines are suggestions to inspire your internal conversation with Self; do whatever works for you and remember that the smallest change in the right place and at the right time can have the biggest impact.