It's Okay to Invest in Yourself: Steps to Showing Yourself Care
Sometimes, the secret to a better life is closer than we think. In this video, I discuss the ways you can start to shed the forces holding you back in life and career, and begin feeling like your true self.
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Transcript
Today I want to talk about self-love and self-care. It’s the month of February. It’s the month of love. It’s the month of Valentine. So, let’s look at how we can treat ourselves first, because doing that will help your relationships and your career. Big time. Taking care of yourselves first before others is an act of self-love.
Why should I love myself?
Loving yourself is vital to having a healthy life, relationship and career. To love yourself and show love for yourself requires aligning to your values, honoring your boundaries and showing that you matter, that you are valuable. It means not letting others determine your worth. Taking care of yourself and loving yourself also means not overextending yourself to please others or to earn more value in their eyes.
Time is precious
View your time as the most valuable thing in your life and protect it. This means not wasting your time, not allowing others to waste your time and scheduling your own time to create care, to take care of yourself and to accomplish tasks and goals.
Are you giving as good as you get?
If it’s extremely off balance and you give so much more, recalibrate. You may be trying to earn respect or recognition from the wrong source. If you find yourself giving more than you get, it is time to step back and reevaluate the situation or relationship and preserve your time, your energy and ultimately yourself.
Managing your energy levels
If you’re tired, take things off your plate. Be ruthless about it. If you’re not waking up feeling rested or you’re having trouble winding down at night, that means you have way too much adrenaline in your body. You can’t function properly, as is proven over and over by neuroscience. That also means you’re not taking the time to do things that are calming and relaxing. You’re simply not getting any sleep. Conversely, observe what energizes you and do more of it. Schedule it if you have to. Do you feel energized by a certain hobby, by volunteering or by certain sports? Then schedule a few hours a week for yourself to do those one or two things that energize you. It will keep you focused and it will make your days brighter. Recently, a client of mine told me that she’s including climbing in her weekly routine because that helps her being energized and focused.
Rewarding yourself is self-care
Reward yourself when you achieve some important milestones, even if that means celebrating by yourself. One thing that I hear a lot from women especially, is that they don’t stop and celebrate their many achievements. Some feel guilty, some even feel silly doing that. And I say, stop. Go out and buy yourself something nice, even if it’s just flowers. Go to the spa or even better, organize a fancy dinner with some of your friends, whatever it is that brings you delight and rewards you for the things you are accomplishing. Just go do it.
Recognizing your own worth
This is especially important when no one else seems to recognizing you. You can recognize yourself, love and celebrate yourself. Small steps like this can help you show yourself more love and care, making you a more balanced, centered and rested person who is not dependent on others actions to validate, recognize, or reward you.
If you struggle with guilt around taking care of yourself or would like to learn how to manage your time and energy better, let me know. I’m here to help you.
I wish you a happy Valentine’s Month and good loving times with yourself and others.
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