"Take care of yourself"
People say this all the time, but does anyone ever really take notice of this? Does anyone really practise a bit of self care? Now I don't mean just doing the bare minimum like showering, brushing your hair (okay, so I may not actually do this myself), and drinking water. I'm talking about doing the stuff which you enjoy, simply because you enjoy it!
Over the last month, I have truly learnt how important it is to look after yourself, to do things which make you feel good about yourself.
 | ||
| Trying to make the effort to feel good. |
I broke my foot earlier this month, and consequently, I've only left the house about three times since, and my head hasn't been feeling too great either. Because of this, I've not particularly felt the need to do anything nice to my hair, to bother putting on make up or wearing any my favourite clothes. Basically, I've done the bare minimum in terms of looking after myself. I just simply couldn't see the point in doing anything more. It was almost as though I felt it would be a waste (of what I'm not even sure) and that I wasn't allowed to feel good about myself without what I deemed a 'valid' reason.
It sounds daft, feeling as though I don't have the right to feel good in myself, but I think this is a genuine issue for so many people I know. This feeling of inadequacy and lack of self-worth which can manifest itself in so many different ways.
Feeling as though you don't deserve a bath because it uses too much water, or not using that bath bomb you have had since Christmas but can't quite justify using it yet, or perhaps even denying yourself that piece of cake because you haven't earned it.
It is blooming ridiculous: yet I still find myself thinking this.
I have actively been trying to combat these thoughts by defying them, and flying in the face of (mental) adversity as I try to treat myself right, so here are a few examples of what you can do.
Have your Hot Chocolate and Drink it too!
I've been finding it really difficult to allow myself to have anything particularly indulgent to eat. Normally telling myself that I haven't been active enough that week, or hit those 10,000 daily steps steps. But the thing is, I could do all of these things and so much more and I would still struggle to justify this to myself.
So, with a little (a lot, lets be honest...) of help from my Mum, I allowed myself to have a hot chocolate.
Now, I know how ridiculous this sounds, but if you think of the hot chocolate as a metaphor for all things which you feel like you don't deserve then it works pretty well. It isn't an essential, maybe costs a little more, feels a little more luxurious than a standard cup of tea, and makes you smile when you take that first sip. It certainly isn't a necessity, but it is an act of kindness towards yourself.
Looking after yourself is such an important, yet relatively easy sounding task. So why do so many of us not bother doing it? Why do we put off these random acts of kindness to ourselves, instead preferring to berate and talk down to yourself instead!
So what I'm trying to say, in a somewhat long winded and round about way is to just be kind to yourself. Buy that bath bomb and apply that body butter even if you don't plan on going out, it is going to make your skin feel amazing!But these small of of kindness towards yourself, and acts of defiance against that part of you which says you aren't worth it!
I would also like to highlight the Young Women's Trust, a charity which can help you deal with these feelings of inadequacy, lack of self worth, and lack of confidence. They really can help you make a change and address the underlying issues and learn ways to cope with these issues.
Work It Out - Coaching is a FREE service for young women aged 16-30 that
can help you feel more confident and ready for work. You get your own
professional coach who works with you one on one. They can speak to you
at times that are flexible, including evenings and weekends.
