I started to feel guilty about the amount of time I spent reading, listening to youtube or attending workshops and trainings. I would give explanations, get defensive.
I felt selfish for the Me time I indulged in and would often times feel embarrassed for the amount of time, money and energy I put that time into my own self-development and self care.
And whenever I let this guilt consume me followed by a slow fading of my joy giving interests, I quickly experienced the negative repercussions in my life.
The less I took care of my self, the less care I began to take care of the people in my life.
My self love reduced, my limiting beliefs grew. I stopped taking responsibility of my own emotions and reactions but instead felt like a victim and blamed the world, anyone and everyone 😐😐.
And adding to the situation were the suggestions of balancing, finding a middle way, prioritizing etc.
But once on a hot summer day with heavy load shedding, when our inverter’s battery stopped working, the electrician in his plain words explained that if the invertor’s battery needs 2 hours charging, and we do it for only 1 hour everyday, with the feeling that it is working well, what’s the need blah blah however, it is not going to last as much it is meant to be. But once it is fully charged, it works more efficiently and lasts longer.
This led me to questioning the ways in which I recharge the battery of my life..
In order to give others, first fill yourself
And we only give what we have.
For me it’s through reading, through YouTube videos (of pets, cooking and various inspirational growth videos), through enhancing my skills by pursuing diffeteny courses, through learning new self-help tools and techniques and last but not the least, playing with my dog.
And as I am super charged, all my responsibilities, that of a mother, wife, friend, counselor, trainer are delivered joyfully and more efficiently.
This realization erased the heavy guilt and feeling of 0selfishness that I originally felt while spending time on me, my interests and my growth.
And whenever I stopped following my heart and my interests, then I understood how necessary and transformational all these are for my life.
Whenever we take care of our selves, in any way whether physical, mental, spiritual, we are directly and indirectly both ways
taking care of those around us.
We only give what we have.
When we respect, prioritize and acknowledge our needs and interests, so we do for/ with others, whether it is our closest family, friends or even strangers.
The importance of taking care of our inner world cannot be underestimated neither dismissed nor compromised.
Self-care is not selfish.
Self-care is necessary for being happy.
Self care leads to others care.
So how do you take care of yourself, how do you charge your batteries?
Add Comment