Embrace Self-Love: You Deserve Better Care
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Selfish.
It’s a characteristic that most of us dislike in others, and certainly one we want to personally avoid.
Sadly, putting yourself first is something that feels selfish to many women.
Our culture sends us mixed messages — while it sometimes urges self-indulgence, the messages we get frequently normalize, and even glorify, self-sacrifice.
Putting your wellbeing first is not selfish!
I invite you to think about taking care of your body and your spirit as being a key to being your best.
Bringing this focus to your life is a meaningful way to love yourself.
It’s also the foundation for loving others and being your best at everything you care about!
Attending to your physical and spiritual needs supports you to have your biggest impact in everything you do.
Who doesn’t want that?
What loving self-care looks like
A woman who nourishes herself with care is rested and strong.
A woman who fuels her spirit with things that bring her joy feels vibrant and shines brightly.
I believe that that woman is anything but selfish.
She is generous and loving to herself, and is able to have a big impact — that in turn makes the world a better place.
Easy ways to embrace self-love
If you are inspired to make space and time for more self-care, and yet it feels a bit hard to know where or how to begin, start by embracing you worthiness of exquisite care.
1. Get comfortable about deserving.
You might make a brief entry in a journal each morning. Remind yourself to love yourself, and list a few ways you can do that in the day ahead!
Next quickly list a few ways you are great — because all of us are! — and let that sink in.
Last, remind yourself that you deserve to have a day that does not exhaust you.
Then bring the upbeat energy into your day!
2. Choose something small and specific to do differently.
Think of a specific small thing to do to take good care of yourself each morning. Choose something that will bring you joy, peace, satisfaction, or all of those!
Maybe you will eat slowly at lunch instead of rushing.
Maybe you’ll take a short walk for fresh air and quiet.
Maybe you will call someone dear to you for the first time in a while.
3. Practice, practice, practice!
As you cultivate a mindset of deservingness, and do small things that are kind and loving to yourself, you will soon notice that it is easier to create opportunities for gentle, loving ways to do more things to support both your body and your spirit.
The more you get in touch with what will be the most nourishing for you — and what you most want for yourself — and then bring those things into your life (even in very small ways!) the happier and more energetic you will feel.
As you inspire yourself, you’ll inspire others!
When you push yourself when you are depleted, you cheat yourself and others.
You may have heard the saying that you cannot pour from an empty cup. I just heard a new version of that concept from a dear friend: if you bathe in a tub with two inches of cold water, you cannot expect to be or do your best.
I hope you feel inspired to shift into a better way to live.
The “icing on the cake” of cultivating rich self-love and practicing meaningful self-care is that you will show up in the world feeling great.
You will feel creative power course through you. You will shine with palpable energy that others will feel. And you will inspire people around you in ways you may never even realize.
As more and more women live a fully fueled creative life, our collective impact will make the world a better place.
Let’s do this together!
