© 2022 Rachel L. Shumate | All rights reserved.
Well… It’s February already and I’m still working on kicking off the “New” Year and getting my act together. I like to think I’m just fashionably late. In reality, my days simply seem to spiral out of control as they fill up with the needs and demands of others, along with endless tasks on my to-do-list. Resolutions? Who the heck has time for those?
Sadly, I think this is a growing trend for many people I know. So, since we’re all on the struggle bus together, I say we join forces and turn this sucker into a party bus. Beep, beep! Hot Mess Express come’n through…!
Why is it that we work so hard taking care of other people and yet we fail to take care of ourselves – like, at all? Our families, our work, our mile long to-do-lists always seem to get first priority, and at the end of the day, there’s nothing left to give ourselves. And eventually, our energy runs out entirely.
They say that you can’t fill from an empty cup. Meaning, if you practice selfcare, you will have more to give others, and it actually benefits everyone. This is true. It’s not new information, it’s just hard. I admit, I am the worst offender for this. I do not relax well, and I’m terrible about the whole selfcare thing. However, I do recognize that when my energy is sucking on fumes (or I’m fuming…), I know I need some time to decompress.
What I should do, is start taking some time for myself each day so that I can practice filling my cup on a regular basis. And I’d like to invite you to join me in this idea. I don’t know about you, but one of my hang-ups is that I need to get it through my thick skull that selfcare is NOT selfish. We live in a society that self-worth is calculated on productivity (among other things), and I have a hard time remembering that relaxing and rejuvenating is actually a productive activity.
So, all my fellow struggle bus captains, riders, and drivers, let’s all try our best to fill our cups! Then maybe we can raise our glasses (probably full of coffee, but whatever) and cheers each other as we bid farewell to the struggle bus, and embark on a pleasure cruise instead.
And being the journal obsessed person that I am, I have some journal prompts to help get us started. If you don’t have a journal (yet), you can simply print out this page.
Cheers everyone! Let’s get this party started…
Affirmation:
Selfcare is NOT selfish. I am worthy of selfcare, and it’s important so that I can become the best version of myself.
Prompts:
- When do I feel at my best?
- What drains my energy?
- What activities do I enjoy doing that will help fill my cup?
- What are 10 things that make me happy?
- What are three things that I love about myself?
