Give Yourself Some Good
We’ve been talking all month on the podcast about how to tackle what’s been draining your energy, from clutter to difficult relationships, and how by tackling them is the first step to feeling better. This week on the podcast, we focus on putting things in your life that actually bring you energy. The activities and experiences that help you feel alive, peaceful, creative or relaxed. It’s about plugging things that are good for you like a nap, a walk, a weekend away. Maybe it’s seeing friends more often, going to the gym or yoga. Or going back to school. There are very good reasons for this:
You Are Meeting Needs. When you plug in time with friends and family, security and belonging needs are being met, so you feel more grounded and less anxious. When you allow that spin class or retreat to happen, your need for self-esteem is being satiated.
It Cultivates Self-Acceptance. When you allow yourself to do or have something good…hanging out with friends, a nap, a walk or taking a yoga class, you are honoring and accepting what you want and need. This is the ultimate self-love and probably one of the most important things you can do for your mental health because it’s all about setting boundaries.
It Shows Self-deserving. You prove this when you ALLOW yourself to receive good things. It helps you to feel happier and more motivated. This is a big part of self-care and why it matters so much. You are therefore taking care of those around you best. Because they will feel the benefits of a calmer, happier you.
Lowers Your Stress – I heard years ago that stress is often “the difference between what I think I have to do instead of what I want to do”. I believe this because I think whenever there’s an internal conflict, we raise our stress and can even act out – or do it somatically with physical symptoms. Honoring what feels right for you and allowing some joy helps you feel empowered rather than feeling victimized by a treadmill of work.
The most important part of noticing what brings you energy is following through on making it real in your daily life by plugging in that walk, that friend’s night out or learning a new skill. Yes, it involves boundaries…ones with ourselves to not sabotage this and ones with others to show them gently but firmly that Yes, we are serious. This is serious stuff. It matters because You Matter.
