LOVE YOURSELF FIRST ❤️

As a mother and a wife, I tend to lose myself in trying to take care of everyone and everything else around me. It’s not just me – several of my girlfriends have shared similar feelings of not being able to make time for themselves. I’m sure many of you can relate.

We, as women, focus so much on caring for our family, our home, proving ourselves at work, proving ourselves as good moms – we forget to focus on ourselves.

We forget self-care. We forget what we like to do in our downtime. Even our downtime is spent making mental lists and chalking out the next task that we need to get done, while trying to get the kids to have a quiet time in their room.

Honestly, our downtime needs a downtime! 🤷🏻‍♀️

When you are so crushingly caught up in so many other responsibilities and sometimes self-imposed to-do chores, where is the breather for you, to take a time-out for yourself?

They say, you can’t pour from an empty cup.

So, how can a mom provide complete mental and physical support to her children if she is draining herself?

William Shakespeare wrote, “Self love is not so vile a sin as self neglecting.” He understood that way back then.

So, my reminder to all moms (and to myself) is this – LOVE YOURSELF FIRST! ❤️

When she is ready, this is the mantra I want to instill in my daughter too – Love yourself first! 💗

Love your body, love your soul. Love your curves, love your smile. The confidence and self-esteem that loving yourself gives you, cannot be taken away by any other person.

You determine your sense of worth when you love yourself first.

Your relationship with yourself will determine the dynamics of every relationship you have. Whether it be at home, or at a workplace.

Loving yourself doesn’t mean you stop trying to better yourself. Loving yourself means accepting yourself at every point of your journey.

Loving yourself first means being ok to let go of toxic relationships, no matter how difficult it maybe.

Loving yourself first means being ok to let your kid watch an extra hour of TV so that you can take a break.

Loving yourself first means speaking your mind and standing up for yourself.

Loving yourself means not feeling guilty for ordering take-out for family dinner because you are working late on a presentation.

Loving yourself means not beating yourself up for making mistakes…instead it means accepting that you made a mistake, apologizing if necessary, learning from it and moving on.

Loving yourself means being ok to snuggle in and watch a movie with your daughter without feeling guilty about the messy house.

Loving yourself means letting go of emotional baggage that pulls you down.

Loving yourself means being ok to let grandparents or babysitter watch your kids, while you go on a date night with your spouse.

Or leaving the kids with the dad, to go on a girls-only weekend trip! Even just a dinner with the girls is always a good idea.

Loving yourself doesn’t mean letting go or neglecting your responsibilities. It means you are taking a moment to check in with yourself, to rejuvenate, to make sure you are in optimal mental and physical health to better carry out your responsibilities.

It means you acknowledge that you are enough!

It means you ask for help when you need it.

It means you realize when you are pushing your limits and take a break.

It means you listen to your body when it’s craving rest. If means you listen to your heart when it’s feeling low. And do what it takes to feel better.

Love yourself first….because you have to spend the rest of your life with yourself and so does your family.

Love yourself first….and you will be a better mom, a better wife, a better friend, a better colleague and so much more.

Love yourself first….and everything else falls into line, as Lucille Ball famously said.

Take time to do something for yourself, by yourself.

Read that book you have been meaning to. The dishes can wait.

Watch that movie you have been wanting to. The laundry can wait.

Write, draw, paint, knit. The yard work can wait. Or if it’s the gardening that helps you de-stress and makes you happy, then go dig in.

Dance your heart out. Let your children watch you dancing and singing. Let them see you being silly and laughing! It’s good for you – it’s good for them.

Sit alone and listen to music, if that’s your jam. Or rock out at the top of your lungs in your basement.

Get started on that DIY project you have saved on Pinterest.

Sign up for that history class. Spend hours at the library. Take a solo trip to the art museum. Watch sunset by the lake.

Get a pedicure. Or manicure. Or both. A massage. Go shopping. Grab a coffee and people-watch at a coffee shop. Go on a drive. Or bike, walk or run.

If you don’t want to do it alone, then by all means do it with your family, your best friends, your kids, your yoga crew, your office team or maybe just your dog.

Do whatever makes you happy. Do it again tomorrow! And do it again the next day!

Love yourself first! 💜

I will leave you with these words of Charlie Chaplin on his 70th birthday about self-love…. “As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations and everything that drew me down or away from myself. At first, I called this attitude a healthy egoism. Today I know it is “LOVE OF ONESELF”.