I struggled with this for a long time. I try my hardest to be a selfless person. I didn't realize that I was standing in my own way and that self-care was far less an issue of selfishness and much more a necessity.
I began asking myself, what do I like to do? The answer to this question seemed to always involve another person, or the role that I played in someone's life. The answer never quite returned with "I do this because I want to do it for myself." This discovery led me to really uncover who I really was.
I found that I had been defined by my role as mother, fiance, Soldier, NCO and all of the other labels and positions that I had placed on me by other people. I was stuck in my roles. I thought that I was being true to myself by honoring these roles when at the end of the day, there was nothing left for me to give to myself.
I was dreadfully empty.
There is so much more to me and who I am than what I am or whose I am. I had to relearn and rethink my idea of ownership and take back my life. I wasn't in super bad shape, but probably because I was able to catch it before it completely consumed me.
I had to take time and redefine myself. I wanted to be able to look in the mirror and know exactly who that girl was. I could barely answer the question "What do you like to do?" and that was, for me, unacceptable.
Through this journey (which was part of my self-love journey) I was able to identify activities that I could engage in both alone and with others that truly brought me joy and peace.
I came across this AWESOME list and I thought it was definitely worth sharing!! Check it out! I'd love to hear your feedback on what some of your favorite self-care methods are!
Feel free to comment below!!
Love & Light, Fam!