Many women tiptoe around the topic of self care. It is something that could get you asking yourself “hey, am I being selfish to have a consistent daily regimen of taking care of myself?”. No one wants to be selfish, but the question remains is self care really selfishness? Are they one and the same thing? I’m gonna let you decide. I have my own thoughts about it, but self care is about being able to have and trust yourself and your own thoughts and what I said may not be what you think, and that’s okay. But let me tell you that when you are able to take care of yourself, it is not always about vanity and doesn’t mean hurting others in the process. It’s a healthy practice that everyone, especially busy moms, should incorporate into their day .
When we understand how to treat ourselves then we have a higher understanding on how to treat and serve others. You should never expect others to treat you better than you treat yourself. There’s so many things in life you will not be able to control but self care is not one of them . There’s different ways to take care of ourselves but when we don’t it causes a misalignment with our gifts and what God has intended for our life. A lot of lifes issues are self-inflicted because these topics aren’t always taught at home and definitely not reinforced in school? So, where do we learn it? Yes, it starts with who created you in the likeness of His image.
Many people think God is going to take care of them as long as they serve the Kingdom. But God has already taken care of us and has given us authority here on Earth. God is not the One that is making sure you are reading our Bible, choosing whether we get up with intentions on meeting goals, taking care of our bodies, whether we eat healthy, work out or not, choose our friends or careers. Those are the choices that we make and not sometimes we blame God for things we know we are responsible for . It boils down to decisions, God cannot override our will. That’s how much power you have! You will thank me later if you not only hear but take action on the tips in this article .
Here are a few ways to exercise daily self care daily:
Spiritual– Let’s get this straight , being spiritual and religious most of the times not the same thing. Religion is doing what man says about God and Spiritual is what God says about man. So, which one do you think would give you wisdom that can take you further in life, money or business ? A scripture to read to get gist of how bad to the bone you are is Romans [8:28] “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God , to those who are called according to His purpose .”
Mental – “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” is a famous quote by the Founder of the United Negro College Fund. What you put in your mind is what comes out of your mouth and influences your actions too. Your mental space is expensive, don’t rent it to squatters and haters . Take time daily to seek knowledge and learn something new. This does not always have to be pure academia either. It can be learning about something that may solve a problem for yourself and/or others. This can be in areas of relationships, health , history, even dance or comedy whatever your interests. Don’t keep putting what’s important to you on the back burner.
Emotional– As adults we try to bury our emotions in work in attempts to avoid how we really feel about certain things in our life . I want you to know that stress is a silent killer. You deserve happiness, joy and peace every day. The first step to emotional self care is to check in daily with your feelings. This needs to be non negotiable; remember you’re special. Emotional health is underrated and undervalued in this world today. Ignoring the importance has led to so many people being medicated, whether through pharmaceutical or illegal drugs and alcohol. People are searching for emotional stability in things that won’t solve their real issues . Next step is to condition yourself to have more positive emotions no matter the circumstance. For instance , when you hear some bad news that feels like a punch in the gut. Instead of engaging in the negative , you say to yourself, “I’m glad I know now at least I am no longer in the dark about that person or that situation”. There are many other ways but this can get you on the right track.
Physical- Your health is your wealth is a true statement. You can’t do much for yourself or anyone else if you’re sick, real talk. Thinking giving it all you got until there is nothing left is not good. Something as simple as drinking plenty of water and reducing sugar intake can solve a myriad of health issues. Did you know that your body is made up of nearly 60% water. Furthermore your brain and heart about 73%, lungs about 83%, skin 64% muscle and kidneys, 79% and bones 31% all water. Not to mention the effects of excessive sugar on these same vital parts of your body.
Financial – There’s so many things in life that make us unhappy and all you’ll hear is ‘go pray about instead of ‘go do something about it after you pray about it’. This is true when it comes to money. Not many want to talk about it but you need it. Praying to get the answer is great, but when you get the answer, you’ve got to implement it. When it comes to money, learning how to make , manage and multiply money is a MUST. We as a whole society must become financially intelligent so we never become a burden on our families, community and economy. Then we should focus less on impressing others and more impacting the next generation by leaving an inheritance.
I pray this article left you empowered and interested in learning more about Self Care Without Guilt. For more information and training on life , money and business go to www.nicolasmithjackson.com and listen to the past series on Power Start Your Day Podcast.
