Weeks ago, my friend mentioned her struggle with setting aside time for personal practices and self-care. In her case it was journaling. She spent many months trying to force this practice into her busy schedule. Even though she loves journaling,. She believed her ‘work’ and attending to the needs of loved ones ‘should’ be her priority. In other words, taking time for her self, her personal care was selfish.
You are Important.
My friend called the other day to share her ‘ah-ha’ moment. She figured out that if she took the time to journal (or any activity she loved) during a time of day she enjoyed (in her case it was lunch hour), she would be more likely to follow through – and it worked. Her 'ah-ha' – do something you love during a time you love. Terrific!
That’s when my own 'ah-ah' moment occurred. Creating a block of time each day for something you love is wonderful, and necessary. Why not have that experience (of feeling joy) most of the day or even all day long! In fact, that’s exactly what alignment and balance is – being in a joyful mindset much of the time. Each new day is meant to be an experience in bliss, alignment and the manifestation of all you love to do and be. I get that we all have jobs and other tasks we do not love, yet certainly we deserve more than one hour a day of bliss!
Why is that so difficult to achieve? Because we are taught that self-care is self-ish. This is false. Without self-care we will self-destruct. Yes, balance is important, too much self care can lead to selfishness. That said, as a culture we are nowhere near the precipice of too much self-care. In fact, failure to honor our needs and desires may be the #1 reason for overwhelming lack of self-value and wellbeing. With statistics indicating that 4 out of 5 adults are depressed, the lack of self-care is at the top of the list for reasons why.
It only takes a moment to start practicing self care. Today is your day!