I'm going to be completely honest with you, I don't know how to start this or how to go about it. But then again, I never really do. So I'm just going to go with the flow on this one and see where it takes me. You see, I have a problem with that. I always have to know what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, and most importantly, how I'm going to do it. It sounds super reasonable right? Well it is when it's done in a moderate way and at a moderate pace, which I don't do. I don't know how to be "relaxed" with myself with even the most minimal aspects of my life and I can physically feel the emotional toll its taking on me. So is this post a rant? Possibly, maybe it's even an attempt to somehow get myself to care about myself enough to start putting myself first at all costs and at every point in my life.
I'm just going to jump into it now.
Choose you. Whenever, where-ever, however. Always choose yourself before anything else. I constantly find myself having trouble doing this because I like to know I help others in every way that I can. So much so that I always forget to choose myself. Quite frankly, I almost never choose myself at all. It's so uncommon for me to choose myself that it took me the longest time to realize that choosing myself can be shown in the most minimal ways. And those minimal things sometimes make the biggest positive impact within ourselves. Once you realize that you don't have to give yourself the world in order to choose yourself, being kind to yourself starts getting easier; and believe it, or not, it tends to be the most common cliche things that remind us that we deserve to be first in our lives.
So I started choosing me in the most minimal ways possible:
1- Sleep good and Stretch when you wake up; Sleep is such an important factor for our overall health and well being. When you don't sleep enough you aren't charging yourself up for the following day. Did you know that a human can only function well after three to four days without sleep? After the fourth day you start to hallucinate and your brain functions stop fully working. Crazy huh? Sleep is literally the charging port for your body and soul. Don't take it for granted, sleep well and wake up happy. Now, on to point two. Not only is it a physically great feeling to stretch after a good night of sleep, but its great to take the beginning moments of a new day to acknowledge that you are here. You are awake for another day. You made it to a new day and that, in itself, is wonderful. Stretch and feel every inch of your body coming to life and be conscience of the fact that you are a human being. You are here on this earth. You were put here for a reason and you matter. Stretching first thing in the morning can be as simple as just stretching. Or it can be a quick moment of appreciation for the life you have and being able to share another day with all your loved ones. So stretch and be in contact with yourself for the first waking moments of your new day.
2- Shower to start your day (if time permits); when I shower in the morning before starting my day I like to think of if as a way of starting off everyday with a clean canvas/slate. Everyday is a new day filled with endless possibilities. Cleaning yourself of the residue from the past day can make it easier to accept the new things this new day has to offer you. Not only is being clean for the new day a way to start off the day with a clean slate but its also a good way to think of yourself as a new version of yourself. That's important to keep in mind also. Everyday that you are alive, you have the possibility to be a new person. You can change whatever you want about yourself every day that you are alive. I remember reading something that said that roughly every 7 to 10 years the human body replaces itself with a new set of cells. So basically, every decade, give or take, you're literally a new body. A new person physically. So if you're body can renew itself every few years, you can renew yourself every day if you really wanted to.
3- Happy music makes a happy soul; the one consistent thing I like to have every day is music, and happy music is a must for a happy day and a happy soul. If you start your day off with positive vibes, whether it be the lyrics, the beat, or just favorite songs that are tied to good memories of your past, your day will start on a good note. Just like everything else in life, starting is the tricky part. Yet, once you begin, its easy to continue. This is probably my favorite way to be good to myself on a daily basis. Like most people, I have a deep appreciation for art in every form that art can be produced. Music is possibly my favorite form of art, which is why I most likely have music on throughout the majority of my days. However, it's so easy for me to slip into the sad music route and slowly but surely drown myself in a sad wave of emotions that make it hard for me to positively choose myself on a daily basis, so I try to stay on the path of happy upbeat music no matter how cheesy and cliche they may be and sound. The trick is to begin the day with a happy or relaxed feeling that you can carry around with yourself throughout the day and even share with the people around you.
4- Full tummy = happy heart; Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!!! Food gives us energy, and our bodies need that energy to keep us up and running throughout the day. Without the energy that a balanced breakfast/ diet we will literally slowly fall apart through out the day. You know how when babies are hungry they cry? And toddlers get annoyed and throw fits? And teenagers get aggressive and mean? Yeah, our body needs food. Good food, that will keep us full of energy and keep our bodies functioning properly throughout the day so we can take advantage of all the capacities that our bodies are capable of achieving.
5- The outside in method; As a theatre student I learned about an acting technique that I actually started applying to my daily life. It started off as an experiment and I soon realized that it actually started having the effect I theorized it would have. Also the effect that it is meant to have when it comes to role playing and acting. It's called the outside- in method. Basically you physically become the role you are playing and feed off of the energy that the embodiment of the role gives you. So I figured, if I dress happy, and dress like I'm going to have a successful day, would it work? Yes, it did. Obviously it didn't work over night, but the longer I kept doing this, the more progress I started noticing on my day to day basis. So what I'm getting at is, dress for success. Take the time to dress the way you feel your most confident, secure, and happy. If you look like you can conquer the world, you will also feel like you can. Thus giving you the confidence to literally go out and take the world by storm for the day. You are with yourself every single day of your life. You see yourself more than anybody else you know. You are literally with yourself more than anybody else, might as well enjoy being in your own company and decorate your body to your liking. At the end of the day, you are the only person that is in your head and body literally 25/8. Make it worth it and make it feel like its the place where you belong most.
6- Pamper yourself; Lets be honest right now, if you're not good to yourself, who will be? Giving yourself at home spa days, face mask and movie days, and lounging at home is a great and simple way to let your body know that you appreciate how hard it works everyday and that it's your turn to rest and have a relaxing day. Whether you actually want to go to a spa or just hang out at home and watch tv all day while eating your favorite snack with a glass of wine. Giving yourself a some time devoted to just yourself and letting yourself relax is such a beautiful way to put yourself and your emotional health first.
7- Pizza day; a balanced diet is key for the nutritional well being of our bodies and our overall health. However, eating your favorite junk food every now and then is totally acceptable. When you decide to have your cheat day/meal, make sure you fully enjoy it with no repercussions, nothing holding you back and making you feel guilty. Really enjoy the small pleasures that life has to offer even if it means eating a cheese pizza with chicken wings and fries on the side. Life is all about balance. Being able to balance eating healthy and having a cheat meal every now and then counts too, don't let anybody tell you otherwise.
8- Meditate, don't hesitate; Meditation has been my saving grace this year. With so much going on in the world, everything we have going on in our personal lives tend to pile up also and our daily life sometimes tends to get too overwhelming to even think about dealing with. Meditating, to me, is such a good way to get in touch with yourself in every aspect. With your thoughts, feelings, breathing, and even with your physical being. Meditating takes a different form with everybody, so finding what works for you helps you figure yourself out more than you already do, and that in itself is a bonus already. I found that for me, yoga and stretching are good forms to meditate because it's normally really hard for me to sit still and not do anything for periods of time. Get in touch with every aspect of yourself and find out everything there is to know about yourself. You'd be surprised how much we don't know about ourselves!
9- H2O is the way to go; Hydration station is the place to be!!! Drinking water has so many obvious positive points that it's crazy to think that people tend to have a hard time hydrating on the daily. Your body is a single living organism, and like every other organism out there, water is vital for its overall growth and well being. Also, drinking water just makes you feel so light and alive. Make sure you drink your 8oz as soon as you wake up and before you go to bed. Need better digestion? 8oz before a meal and boom, digestion is ready for work by the time you start on your meal.
10- Be thankful; This final step is possibly the one that I am most grateful to have started doing on a daily basis. Being thankful to myself for everything. You are the person that is there for yourself at all costs. Remember to be kind and thankful to yourself for existing. Be thankful to your body for giving your soul a place to live in. Be thankful that you have a mind that helps you make your life choices the way you want them to be. Be thankful that you have the will and power to work towards your goals and make them come true. We often get so wrapped up in all the downsides and all the things that tend to not go in our favor that we forget to be thankful for all the good things that always happen to us everyday, and all the things we are capable of making a reality just by simply choosing to do so. Where there is a will, there is a way. Lets stop taking that for granted and be thankful that we can push our limits and reach our goals when we set our mind to it.
Being there for the people you care about is so important, yet being there for ourselves is vital. Don't forget to be your #1 cheerleader every single day and every step of the way. Never hesitate to choose yourself every single time.
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