Self-Care: A Journey Of Self-Love
My journey with self-care and self-Love is ever expanding and evolving. I have learned some helpful things in this process that I will share with you in this blog entry as well as the impact it is having on my life. As you read, I invite you to imagine what this journey can do for YOUR life.
For a long time, I have known that self-care is a powerful way to generate self-Love. But, no matter how much I knew, I resisted giving this care to myself CONSISTENTLY. I have learned that consistency is key when it comes to self-care. It is important to remember, do not be rigid with your self-care. Be flexible and be open to your practices changing and evolving as you do. Different days and life experiences call for different types of self-care. Most of my life I used self-care as a sometimes thing, only for when I was feeling bad or wanted to feel good. I didn't fully understand it as giving Love to myself, yet. I used it as a medicine to treat the symptoms but avoided the problem at the core. That problem was my unwillingness to give to myself. Thankfully, I learned there was a way to be more preventive of my suffering through self-care.
I learned that self-care was an accessible practice to generate self-Love. When I generate this Love within me, I fill up my cup. When my cup is full, I have more than enough energy for all that I am doing and creating in my life. When my cup is empty, I feel defeated and powerless. This is how consciousness operates within most of us. It was a relief to learn, all I needed to do to restore my life force and have more energy to create with in life, was Love myself. I am grateful to find out that the idea that self-Love can heal my life, actually works. I encourage you to give it a try for your life.
When I decided I was worthy of consistent self-care and gave that to myself, I realized how much energy it freed up within me. When I maintain a balance of what I give to others and what I give to myself, infinite energy is available for me. I knew this in theory but it wasn't until I became consistent that I got to experience this and embody it. Allow this consistency to give you balance.
Your self-care practices contribute to and enhance your well-being.
When we focus our thoughts on what is wrong in our lives, we tear our energy field which causes us to lose energy. Many of us struggle with this daily. Your self-care practices can repair these tears helping you keep your energy for you and your life. Essentially, self-care is a tool for self-healing. Can that be reason enough for you to create a consistent practice in your own life?
CONSISTENCY. CONSISTENCY. CONSISTENCY.
Intention is also important in self-care. Practice without intention is like attempting to drive a car without gasoline. Technically, the car can still reach its destination. Maybe it has to be pushed or towed but it can get there. It will take more time, work and effort to do it this way. Driving the car with gasoline allows you to get there with much more ease and efficiency. Create an intention before you begin any self-care practice. I like to choose intention statements that begin with, "I ALLOW."
Example:
"I allow this practice to contribute to my well-being. I allow myself to receive the Love I am generating in this moment. I allow any spaces of fear and unworthiness within me to be immersed in my Love and care."
I am sure you're wondering, "What does self-care LOOK like?" That is valid and necessary to understand. There are many different ways to practice self-care. Below, I will share with you some of my favorites that work for me. Self-care is not black and white. Adjust your practice however it needs to be to fit you most authentically.
Below are some ways that I take care of myself. Remember, CONSISTENCY is key.
Things that contribute to my well-being... These are the things that make me feel good, healthy and inspired. Sometimes, I have self practices like writing, meditation, spending time with nature, eating healthy food and exercising. Anything you do for yourself that has you feeling, Love, peace and/or connection is self-care. There is also self-care that we can receive through the SUPPORT we allow others to give us. Examples of this for me are massages, acupuncture, chiropractic care and other similar practices. How is this giving to myself when someone else is doing the thing rather than me? Because, I allow myself to be supported by others and allow them to give to me. This is also self-care.
Honoring my desires and dreams... When I ask myself, what do I desire to experience in my life, I am opening the door to self-care. When I decide to give those things to myself, I am practicing self-care. Honoring my desires and dreams is a way to Love myself. What if you considered the possibility that all of your dreams and desires are a reality? How would that change the action that you put towards manifesting these desires and dreams? When I decide there is something in my life that I want to experience AND I put forth the action to making it a reality, I am taking care of myself. Simply entertaining the thought isn't enough to generate self-Love. You must ACCEPT it as reality and then make it happen for it to be self-care.
Gratitude... Expressing gratitude to myself or others is self-care. When I say what I am grateful for about my life, I am acknowledging myself and my life and the beauty in it. When I share gratitude for my life, I am honoring the power within me that made my life the way it is that I am grateful for. Gratitude is the vibration of LOVE. Giving Love to myself is taking care of myself. This is one of the simplest and most accessible self-care practices.
Forgiveness... When I forgive myself, I am Loving myself. Forgiveness, like gratitude, is also the vibration of Love. When I am willing to forgive myself for the things I blame, judge, wrong and shame about me and my life, I am taking care of myself. Forgiveness is an alchemical process that allows us to transform fear back to Love. It is vital for our well-being to forgive ourselves daily. Click here to read more about forgiveness.
Walking a consistent path of self-care is not always as easy as other times. Some days, I am inspired about my self-care and eager to give to myself. Other days, I am resisting it and want to give nothing to myself. This is normal. It is okay. Think of self-care as a tool, assisting us in reconditioning our limiting beliefs we have about life. It takes time and attention. These practices have helped me temporarily feel better for a long time. Since deciding to give to myself consistently, I feel better more often than not. I have been creating more, doing more and being more from a place of fullness and wholeness rather than emptiness and depletion. It is easy to come up with excuses of why I don't have time, money or opportunity to practice self-care. I have learned in my own life that when something is important enough, I will not allow any excuse to stand in my way. Make you and your life a more important piece of your life. The time to give to yourself is today. Self-care is accessible to everyone. Whether you need a shift in perspective or practice, self-care is available to you when you decide to give it to yourself.