Giving to Yourself

I've always loved the saying "You cannot pour from your cup if it is empty." This saying has personally made me reflect on what I am doing to care for myself, put myself first. Do you put yourself first, exercise self care? If not, what are you waiting for!

Are you looking for permission to put yourself first? Looking for someone to say it's okay to take care of your self, indulge even? Let the laundry, let your partner/spouse pick up the slack around the house with the kids and pets and just give yourself as little as 15 minutes to just figure out where you are and what YOU need.

Self care is so vitally important to what we do as providers, especially women. We are driven by our emotions and very much emotional beings. This means we absorb so much that we often don't get ourselves a chance to decompress and release that shit.

When we don't give back to ourselves we build up, burn out and may even become bitter and resentful towards those we love and care about. We may begin to look at the lives of those around us who we think have it together and yearn for a life like theirs. While having goals to better ourselves is healthy and a part of self growth, being envious pollutes our bodies and leaves us feeling even less empowered.

I'll share their secret to happiness with you. They give themselves time to themselves. They participate in things purely for their joy and mental health. They learn to find ways to make themselves content instead of depending on others to do it.

So I'm telling you, right here, right now- Release that shit! Let it out. Find ways to make yourself happy and give yourself the break from the ordinary moments of your life. You hold the power to give yourself permission to release, heal and grow.

A few of my favorite ways to grow, heal and release are:

• Go for a long walk. If I walk to the end of my street and back it is a total of 4 miles.
• Give myself a homemade facial. Seriously as easy as honey or mixing up some oatmeal and milk.
• Take a nice warm shower and enjoy all the hot water. Run the tank empty. (Best to warn your partner this going to happen. Also- don't start any laundry before you get ready.)
• Throwing my hair up in a messy bun, turning on some music and dancing away in my living room.
• Any form of movement- yoga, weight lifting, digging in the backyard.

No matter where you are at in your journey, give yourself 15 minutes today. If you already do self care, share your favorite ways with me.