Self Love & Care for Me, Myself & I
Pearl of the Post: Self Care Is Not Selfish
As busy modern working mommas, we often lose ourselves in our family lives. We easily give so much to others. It takes work to stay in touch with yourself and stay devoted to a self care practice.
Holding a space of love and compassion for yourself in every moment helps ward off the mom guilt and the oops, I forgot to fasten my oxygen mask first type of emergencies.
Love is a gateway to effortlessness.
You hold the key to go beyond just saying “I love you” and instilling self-love as a core value and practice for yourself and for your children.
Luckily it’s easy to love yourself, exactly as you are, as you are fabulous!
This February is the perfect time to fall madly and deeply back in love with yourself.
Some Love Notes For Ya:
Ego Check: Loving yourself is not an ego thing, it’s a love thing and no modesty is required. Being full of yourself and boasting is an ego trip. You are supposed to love, accept and be proud of who you are. You are entitled to fully honor the positive parts of yourself. You are positively awesome!! It’s just about being honest! The positive side of your ego will share all that’s fabulous when you’ve forgotten or buried it beneath your insecurities. Keep your negative ego in check when she starts on her ugly track with “you don’t deserve” “you suck” “you’re fat” “you’re too big for your bridges”. The negative things are often easier to believe than the positive? Why is that? Do me a favor and just thank your ego, as she can teach you what insecurities or issues are blocking your mojo as you return to a more mindful sense of self ~ your real awesomely amazing self.
Date Yourself: Devote time to yourself. My best friend Melissa says, “stash time away for yourself like you would save money in your savings account.” Take that time and invest it doing something you love and find inspiring. Go for a walk in the cool air, stroll through a museum (read about my family's recent trip), enjoy nature therapy by arranging some flowers or simply look up at the vast ever changing sky, treat yourself to a blow out, manicure or any self care luxury that leaves you feeling better than when you walked in the door, indulge with super thick Parisian style hot chocolate preferably at Laduree or City Bakery (if you're in NYC), do a guided meditation from any of Gabrielle Bernstein’s offerings or free ones from Lisa Beachy's Meditations For Moms, read a book like Latham Thomas's Own Your Glow, journal, bust out your stencils and draw, do some yoga either by yourself or at a class or turn on some music or take a Deeva Dance class and get jiggy with it. Be sure to capture a before and after selfies while you're at it!
There are endless options. The point is to enjoy your own company. You will be with yourself your entire life. {Click to Tweet This Pearl!}
Self-Care: Care for yourself. Commit to your own wellbeing and release what no longer serves you. Scan your emotional, physical and spiritual self and each area of your life – health, relationships, career. Acknowledge your unhealthy beliefs, thoughts, practices, habits, addictions, vices or energy suckers in your life. Please seek professional help where required. One at a time, accept and thank each for the lessons and then actively release it. Forgive your past judgmental unhealthy chain smoking cake batter vodka shot gorging self (not that there's anything wrong with that ;). Supplement new healthy ways to care for yourself and be gentle if you fall off the love wagon. I love these 50 Ways to Practice Self Care Without Breaking the Bank list by life coach, Corrie Woods.
The more you practice, the more effortless the practice becomes to care for yourself.
Core: Re-connect with the core of who you are, that part of you that is pure spirit and is so open, clear, divine and peaceful. You may have to dig through and clear some layers but she’s there, ever waiting to be acknowledged and integrated fully with your daily experiences. Tune in and retreat to your center. Everything you do comes from that deep space within. Try one of Hildur's mindful meditation and reiki sessions at the Sol Center in Port Washington.
Live Your Truth: Pauline Capalbo an intuitive metaphysical healer and author of "Awakening of the Soul" once shared this pearl, “living your truth is your greatest act of self love, to love yourself is to know your soul and accept it fully. To know yourself and love yourself well enough not to do something that is out of authenticity for your soul." When you start doing what everyone else wants you to do you start losing touch with what you feel is right for you to do. Do what is in your truth, is honest to who you are and take actions that expresses and advances your truth.
Be Your Best Cheerleader: Accept a compliment. If you simply cannot, do it anyway. While in law school, a close friend said without a shadow of sarcasm “you are so smart, beautiful and amazing.” She’d go on and on listing my positive traits and by the end of my third year, I was finally able to accept and fully embrace those beliefs. Take a cue from Stuart Smalley, grab a mirror, smile big, blow yourself a kiss and say “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and doggonit, I LOVE ME!” Then go be a cheerleader for your friends and family, shower them with Arielle Fierman’s I LOVE ME jewelry and bask in the love.
Listen to your heart to show you your pathway to being your own best lover.
(c) 2012 & 2018 Cynthia Litman d/b/a MomTime Events. All Rights Reserved.
Originally Published January 23, 2012 on Your Bella Life as "Love Yourself: Me, Myself & I"
Modified and re-published January 23, 2018
Side Note: Funny how the same themes creep up during the same time of year. Lately, I've been focusing myself and MomTime on self-care....
The Most Recent MomTime Event was a VisionBoarding Workshop & Meditation. We'll devote the time to tuning inwards and getting clear on how you'd like to feel and what you'd like to manifest during 2018.
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