Do you feel guilty about investing in and taking care of yourself?
I’m a giver and a nurturer so taking care of others usually take precedence over taking care of myself. Since I started blogging almost a year ago, researching information for each post opened my eyes to the many errors in my ways. Now I’m adjusting and correcting little by little and I am more conscious of the fact that I cannot accomplish anything if I’m unhealthy.
You can’t give what you don’t have.
Self-care is not about self-absorbed, narcissistic behavior. Self-care is about seeking and nurturing internal validation. It’s about taking care of our emotional wellbeing and learning self-compassion. Making time for yourself is necessary so that you can keep up with all your responsibilities. However, many of us feel that there’s a guilty pleasure associated with taking some “me” time. We were all given this special house to live in, our own body, with our own special, unique gifts and talents. It’s our responsibility to take good care of it and treat it with ultimate respect.
We all have our purpose and special paths to follow.
- Adjust your lifestyle. Unhealthy behaviors develop over the course of time, so replacing unhealthy behaviors with healthy ones takes time.
- Learn to prioritize. Oftentimes, we get so caught up in the day to day rush that we fail to step back and look at the things that are most critical.
- Learn to pick your battles, We all feel anger, but whether or not we act on it depends on a number of factors. Know when it’s time to draw the line between letting something go and engaging in conflict.
- Eat right: Eating a wide variety of plants in different colors offer many protective health benefits for your whole body.
- Regular exercise. Think of your workout schedule in the same manner as you’d think of any other commitment. Stick to it and reap the rewards.
- Maintain a positive attitude. Find daily quiet time, and don’t forget to laugh. Positive emotions can decrease stress hormones and build emotional strength. Maintaining a positive mindset makes you more productive and effective in your daily activities.
- Be Thankful. Taking five minutes each day to list three things you’re thankful for trains your mind to look for the positive. Be grateful for your blessings, notice simple pleasures, and acknowledge everything that you receive.
Other ways to invest in your most valuable asset – yourself.
- Find Your Why. What is your purpose? Why do you work? Finding your purpose is a powerful thing. It gets you up in the morning and keeps you awake at night.
- Read a Great Book. Great books are like prepackaged boxes of ideas, painstakingly put together by a brilliant author for you to assimilate. Take advantage of this amazing resource.
- Find a Mentor. Mentoring relationships are a powerful source of knowledge, inspiration and connections – don’t miss out!
- Manage your time. We spend our time dealing with small, urgent issues when we should be focusing on important (but non-urgent) tasks.
- Discover your Strengths. What are you doing when you are at your best? The most successful people in the world have discovered the things they are best at and build their working lives around those strengths.
When you find ways to enrich or change your life, a natural extension of that is to share with others. Examine your values and decide what’s important to you; then set your boundaries. Nourishing yourself in every way possible will help you blossom and grow into the person you are meant to be. Using healthy self-care to maintain your internal emotional tune-up is a gift worth giving yourself every time!
Found value? Feel free to share!!
To Your Success,
Althea
Althea A. McLeish Wilson, RN, MSN
Promoting inner health & outer beauty!
Helping you thrive, not just survive!!
PS. Inner Health & Outer Beauty Store: Health & Wellness with Althea♦
PPS. Did You Find This Helpful? If so, please feel free to share!! Leave a comment or contact me at althea@altheamcleish.com.
