This week as we count down the days to Valentines, its a good time to ponder on a couple of thoughts about love
firstly: Do you rely on verification from others to feel loved and loveable, or can you, hand on heart, honestly, say that you truly love yourself?
Like really? Truly Madly Deeply?
If you can, I would hazard a guess that you are in the minority.
I know its taken me a long time and alot of work to get anywhere near close to this point.
If you do, then ponder this?
In what ways do you show that you love honour and value yourself?
How do you show up for yourself?
These days alot more is spoken about self-love
being the key to happiness. The key to expansive loving relationships with others and all the other good stuff. Thats good.
Sadly a lot less is spoken about true self-care being one of the highest forms of self love..
As women in particular** we tend to care for others much better than we care for ourselves.
our essential needs often stay forgotten at the bottom of the to do list.
I know I was guilty of this for many years.
I also know how well that served me…….
It didn’t.
(Spoiler alert…
i ended up hospitalized by the most severe burnout I’ve ever seen and unable to work for months… )
I’ll share more about my personal experience, next week to show what a lack of self love /self care can do to us, and about how it manifests in our daily life
** (some men too, Yes I know not ALL men are nobs in the caring dept)
Meanwhile, I would love to know,
What do you do to show yourself you are valued/loved?
and
What can you do this week to ensure your needs are at last close to the top of your to-do list?
Remember this is not selfish, quite the opposite, this is for the good of YOU AND ALL those that rely on you to care for them. 💜💚
Self Love = Self Care
and as we navigate the challenges of midlife, self-care becomes even more essential.
Some ways that I show myself love are:
1) Cutting down on Coffee,
my caffeine addiction was a part of my massive crash and burnout way back then, I do still drink it but am very strict with myself about when and the quality of what i drink, unlike before….
2)Hardly ever eating any sugar. it really doesn’t agree with me, so that sure makes it easier,
But ultimately both of these things help me to
3) Sleep Better
Sleep is my number one gift to myself these days.
I do alot of other things to help that happen too,
(I’ll be sharing sleep tips throughout March, so keep our eyes out for them)
4)Making sure to cook myself healthy meals from scratch :- Yes it takes longer than putting a ready meal in the over, or grabbign a takeout, but once you get in the habit, its gets quicker, and you find tricks to save time.
5) Making sure to move as much as I can, whether its daily nature walks with the dogs ( and usually the cat too!)
If you struggle to find the time to fit things like this into your life,
you can of course hire me to coach you, to movitae you and keep you accountable, and to share all the tips and tricks i have learnt along the way.
Or follow my jounrey on You Tube for where i share lots of tips and tricks for free
https://www.youtube.com/@TheWellbeingWitch