You are important: the necessity of putting yourself first

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“For those of you who struggle with guilt regarding self-care, answer this question: What greater gift can you give to those you love than your own wholeness?”
― Shannon Tanner, Worthy: The POWER of Wholeness

This post is to remind you that you are important…

It’s hard for some of us, remembering to prioritize ourselves among many things we give our time and energy to.  We have so much to give to the world and sometimes it feels like even when we give it all, we should be able to give more.  It is true that this may not apply to everyone but I know it will at least speak to a few of you.  It is time for you to spend a little of that beautiful energy bubbling inside of you on the most important being in your life-YOU.  That’s right you are important, as or more important than any other thing in your life.  What would your day look like if you spent an hour each morning just doing you?

We had our team meeting last night at Written on the Body and one of the topics of discussion was strategies for getting clients to rebook.  You may not know us that well yet and so I will tell you now, this team of ours is incredibly smart, talented and compassionate which always makes for an enlightening discussion, no matter what the topic.  When it comes to our clients we are each bursting with passion, when we talk about asking you to rebook with us what we mean is how can we convince you to prioritize yourself.  We KNOW that we can help you.  It may just be helping you find balance in a busy schedule by taking an hour a month to give back to yourself or it could be in finding freedom from a long time injury or pain, whatever the case we get excited about the opportunity to improve your life.

In our discussions on this I am always reminded of how easy it is to put ourselves last, giving all of our efforts to work, family and to do lists and leaving nothing or not enough for ourselves.  Now, you may be thinking about how being selfless, hard working and generous are all virtues, I don’t disagree.  But I do think that this should also include giving the same grace and generosity to ourselves.  You will be a better person if you are taken care of!

Do you have pain?  Trouble sleeping?  Anxiety? Stress?

If so then it is probably time to improve on or incorporate a self care routine, make yourself an “A” item on your to do list so that you can continue being the loving and generous person you are for a long time to come.  You are as important as your job, your tasks, your friends, your partner, your family members and it is time to treat yourself with kindness by setting aside time to rejuvenate, heal and relax.

Here are a few simple ideas on where to start, but whatever you do, make sure you love it, that it serves you and it makes you feel good:

  • Start your day off right:  Get up earlier, use your time more wisely or start work later and then use that time to give back to yourself with meditation, a quiet cup of coffee outdoors, a gentle stretching routine or a couple chapters of a good book.

  • Turn your phone/computer/tablet off for one hour a day and do only things that make you happier during that time:  Technology can be such a time sucking black hole.  Don’t get me wrong-I love it, but I know I have wasted hours looking at things I really did not care about.  Choose yourself instead.

  • Start an exercise routine that you enjoy:  If you have an exercise routine that is monotonous or that you dread then it is seriously time to reassess.  There are way too many options out there to exercise unhappily.  Sign up for something new, like Zumba or aerial yoga, or make a date with a friend to go for a nice long hike instead.  We have a precious few moments on this planet, use them wisely.

  • Let go of things that no longer serve you/practice self examination:  What patterns are you perpetuating in your life that are harming you more than helping you?  What situations keep coming up over and over again that bring you down?  It isn’t easy, I know, but it’s time to begin the journey of changing these things and making space for things that fill you up and make you feel great.

  • Spend time with people who make you laugh and won’t let you work:  I need friends and family that build me up and for me this means going with it when my sisters want to have an impromptu breakfast or committing to a weekly date with my BFF.  These guys take my mind away from it all and remind me to put my phone down and enjoy the moment at hand.  Having people in your world who are as committed to giving back to you as much as you give to them can be a major replenishing force!

  • Of course you already know that I believe establishing a routine of massage and/or acupuncture care can make a huge difference in your overall health and well being-why live with pain and stress when you don’t have to?  You are important to us! Book with us online today:  https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=158494  We hope to see  you soon!

I really could go on and on but I think you get the point, YOU ARE IMPORTANT!

Thank you for reading and if you have wisdom to share on this topic please do so in the comments, I would love to hear from you.

I leave you with some wise words to live by:

“You cannot serve from an empty vessel.”
― Eleanor Brownn