How much of your energy flows into Self-Care? I am sure you have heard before that Self-Care is important and it’s really the latest buzz, no?

Quite honestly it took me a long time to accept myself and even start loving myself. It was mind-blowing for me to walk past a mirror and say something nice to the person I saw!

But at some point I understood that, if I don’t love myself – how can anybody ever love me? If I don’t take care of myself and support myself, nobody else will.

I made a choice to have my own back and make the most of who I am. To let my unique light shine, whether people like it or not. With this decision I started taking better care of myself.

So why should you take time and energy to infuse it into an activity that, on the surface, seems counterproductive to maintain your busy schedule?

Do you need to be organized about Self-Care?

• Do you like to give time, understanding and energy to others?
• Do you have a job that requires a lot of energy from you?
• Do you work in a field of healing, energy work, counseling or coaching?
• Do you juggle multiple responsibilities (family, work, household, etc.)?
  Don’t get me wrong – self-care is for everyone – but if you give a lot of your energy daily then you are in a higher need to balance this to regain your strength.

Why you may want to make Self-Care a priority:

If you don’t keep your own energy levels high, then over the long run you won’t be able to give anymore. Makes sense, no? You give and give, but if you never replenish what you are giving at some point there is no more to give. You become like a well that runs dry. So much is connected to this:

• This is why you need to charge the appropriate amount of money for your services so that you can easily live and continue to give.
• It is the reason why you need to say NO to requests on your time and energy that you can’t and don’t want to fulfill.
  This is the secret ingredient for success. Once you are in tune with your own needs and you start voicing them, then you start OWNING YOUR POWER.
• You need to own your power and love yourself to be able to step into the best version of yourself and live the crazy, wonderful and meaningful life you have always dreamed of.

Do a quick check: Do you need to take better care of yourself?

• It is often hard for you to get up in the morning
• You don’t remember the last time you took a relaxing bath or got a pedicure
• You feel on auto-pilot all day trying to get all ToDo’s taken care of
• You’d like to meditate but your meditation pillow is still in it’s delivery box
• The last time you had time to read a book (for pleasure) was in college
• You eat to fill up, instead of enjoying every single bite
• Your friends know your new cute haircut only because they saw the new picture on Facebook
• You had a hobby once – what was it again?
  And the list goes on – ask yourself: What do you miss most about daily pleasures? Do you wish you had more time for a certain activity?

If you answered Yes to just too many of these, then it is time to rethink the way you treat yourself!

The way you treat yourself will be reflected by how people treat you. If you find people are taking from your energy and time, and you are hardly ever getting anything in return you should rethink that friendship. If you are a “giver”, you will naturally attract “takers”.

It makes sense to once in a while check who and which activity actually contributes to your well-being and to cut out those that are draining you. If I may ask anything of you, then please schedule time in your calendar just for yourself. Every day. Even if it is just 5 minutes. Communicate openly that you need this time to recharge and to be more present during the rest of the time with your family and friends.

My favorite Self-Love Affirmations:

• I deeply and completely love and accept myself.
• I am worthy of epic love.
• My body is happy, healthy, strong and lean.
• I am my own biggest fan.
• I got my back. Always.
• I lovingly accept my power.
• I am safe and supported at all times.
  Extra points for speaking these affirmations while looking at your reflection in the mirror.

Now I’d like to hear from you!
What are your favorite Self-Care habits. Have you been rather casual about Self-Care lately? What affirmations do you use to increase and connect to your Self-Love?
Share the love in the comments below and spark the conversation!

Sending you so much (Self-)Love

Sharon

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