Sometimes, one of the hardest things to do is love ourselves. I’m not talking about getting everything we want, or being selfish. No, I’m talking about taking care of yourself, valuing yourself, and knowing your worth. I’m talking about self love. There’s a quote, I believe by Ru Paul (sorry if I butchered the spelling, I don’t watch drag shows), that says “If you can’t love yourself, how are you going to love anybody else.” I may not be into drag, but that quote is powerful. So, this year, I am setting off on a journey to love myself, and take care of myself. Here is how.
Physically:
As you can tell, I am on a health and fitness journey. I’m not just looking to lose weight for vanity. Being skinny is not the goal. The goal is to be healthy. We went through a few years where the world shut down because of people getting sick. I want to take care of my health, and my body. As a Christian, I fully believe that God gave me this body to take care of. I have not done a great job of that in the past, so this year, I aim to do better. That’s why I’m doing the challenges that you get to read about at the end of each month.
This month, I have also added a skin care routine. I have never been someone who spends hours in the morning getting ready by doing my hair and makeup. To be honest, I don’t know what to do with myself in either category. This month I am getting into the habit of a skin care routine. Perhaps I’ll do a “review” type blog on it in April. Just another way of taking care of myself physically.
Mentally:
Taking care of your mental health is extremely important. One of the ways that I’m trying to take care of my mental health is through my blogs. Getting my thoughts out in a positive way is so good for you. I’m not saying that you should all get into blogging. Maybe start small and keep a journal. I also have been recording lots of stories on social media, just sharing my thoughts that way as well. Bottling things up is not healthy, but ranting and being negative all the time is also not healthy. I needed to find a balance. Get out my frustration, and walk away. I try not to carry it with me. After all, who wants to be around a “negative Nancy” all the time? Not me, so why would I let myself be one.
Spiritually:
This part of self care will be very dependent on what you believe. As a Christian, I take care of myself spiritually by trying to spend time with God in devotions every day. My favourite time is right when I wake up. I make myself a cup of tea, turn on some instrumental worship music, and start by reading my Bible. After that, I just journal and talk to God about whatever is on my heart. I also try to go to church as much as I can, but working in a job that never closes, I do miss more Sundays than I would like. I know I can tune in online and watch the service afterwards, but it really is not the same as being in the building.
Conclusion:
I still have a long way to go. Some of you may read this and think, “Steph complains all the time.” Remember the title? It’s a journey and I’m still just starting. I apologise to anyone I’ve just ranted at. I am actually trying to get better at it. I’m growing in all areas.
I do know that there are many levels of self care, and I only touched on a few. These are the ones that I am focusing on at this point. I will make mistakes, stumble, and have set backs. Surprise, I’m human. This is an area I think many of us need to grow on. Have grace for yourself. Forgive your mistakes and learn from them. Get up and try again; it’s not over.
Final Thoughts
Find something that you enjoy, something that brings you peace and calm. Just before this, I took a bubble bath and listened to a Crime Junkies podcast. Honestly, I think it will become my new obsession. Before that, I did some stretching because my muscles were really tight and I just felt sore. Self care can and will look different for everyone. Some paint, others go for walks in nature. Maybe you just need to snuggle up with a hot drink, a comfy blanket and a good book. I even hear that some people need to unwind by playing video games.
Whatever it looks like, I want to challenge you to pick one thing, and work on it. Focus on that one goal for a month, evaluate how you think you did, and then go again. In a world filled with people suffering from depression and anxiety, and many other mental illnesses, self love is something we need to focus on. Earlier this year I wrote a mental health blog. If you have not read it yet, I encourage you to read it. I’ll link it below. I hope that 2023 is the year that self love and care is put on more priority lists. Take care of yourself, because you are worth it.
https://lifewithstephanie.org/its-okay-to-say-no-a-mental-health-blog/
