This ONE idea will be a game changer for your self care!
Let's set the stage…I'm at a writing retreat this week. Yep, a writing retreat. How nice does that sound?
I've never done anything like this before and I'm wondering why.
I'm being fed healthy food, have dedicated time to write, am taking long walks on the beach…I mean this is good stuff!
But I could hear my mind setting some guilt in when I left on Monday. You know what I mean, right? All the reasons I "Should" not be doing this along with why I’m so lucky to be doing this.
(Now, as an aside, I am TRULY grateful that I’m here and have sent that gratitude out to the universe and my husband every day. This is a real gift!)
And you will be glad to know I shifted so fast out of guilt but I realized something HUGE when I shifted. You see, at first, I shifted into all the reasons I deserve this, all the reasons that if I truly take care of myself, I'll be a better:
Wife
Mother
Doctor
Now, I could have stopped right there and you would have probably said, "Yes, Good for you, Tanmeet!" You deserve this.
But about a millisecond after I said all of that to myself, I realized that was ALL WRONG!
Yep, all wrong.
You see, those were still EXTERNAL value associations. I was saying I "Deserve" this BECAUSE of:
My husband
My children
My patients
No, no no. I deserve this week, this time, this self-care....JUST because I do. That's it, no reason, no big explanation, Just because.
'Cause if you aren't a wife, do you still deserve this? YES!
If you aren't a mom, a doctor, you get where I'm going, do you still deserve this? YES!
YOU AND I deserve to take care of ourselves because we are sacred humans on this precious planet.
That's it, end of story. End of discussion. You don't need to justify your next act of self-care whether it's your first writing retreat ever, a massage, or a walk in the woods.
You get to care for yourself because your body, mind and soul are sacred vessels that house you on this beautiful universe in this beautiful life.
I'm going to write my heart's love and pain out this week. I'm going to take in food that nourishes me. I'm going to walk on the beach and contemplate the wondrous earth I get to set feet on.
JUST BECAUSE I CAN.
So, do me a favor. Set a time in your calendar tomorrow, next week, or in the new year, where you do something indulgent for yourself. Indulge, love and nurture your beautiful self.
JUST BECAUSE you can and should.
That’s my love letter to you.
Happy end of the year, my friend.
Live well,
Tanmeet