Love Yourself First!
HEALTH ALERT!!
Are you showing up for you?
Self-Care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional and physical health. Although it’s a simple concept, it’s something we very often overlook.
Good self-care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety. When we’re feeling stressed or in a bad mood self-care is often the last thing on our mind.
Many times there is an increase in the stress level with family issues, work deadlines, marital issues, and finances. Allowing the added stress can cause an increase in blood pressure, anxiety, anger, tension, insomnia, lack of energy, asthma symptoms, digestive disorders, and immune system dysfunction just to name a few.
So how can we reduce the stress and decrease the symptoms associated with stress?
The first step is to focus on you, plan out time in your day, special moments for yourself. Take time in the morning to meditate, have a period of quiet along with journaling. Read your goals for the day, recite your morning affirmations (encourage yourself), eat healthy, and hydrate. Think about ways that you can treat or pamper yourself from time to time, for example, get a facial once a month or a sauna a few times a week. Developing a morning routine especially when you have a schedule that keeps you busy throughout your day. Having that half hour or so of structure when you wake up can make a difference. Be intentional about how you spend your early waking hours, and find a routine that works for you.
In the evening create a relaxed stress free atmosphere, pull your covers back to prepare for bed, turn off all electronics by a certain hour and wind down.
Journal your thoughts for the day, ask yourself a few questions.
1. Ask yourself what happened to make me smile today?
2. How do I feel right now?
3. What did I learn today?
4. Who did I help or encourage today?
5. What did I learn about myself today?
Journal your answers. Take time to read something that calms and encourages you before bed, listen to calming worship music, then end the day with prayer.Love yourself enough to take care of you first. It benefits you and others when you take time to refuel. Plan ahead for your day, use your crock pot or instant pot, meal prep on Saturday or Sundays to save time during the week. The more you do ahead the more time you have to relax and recharge. How often do you put the needs of others before yourself? Daily reflection allows for growth, it allows you to see what you did with your time, how you gave back and your stewardship over what God has given you. Psalm 68:19 says Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. I gladly receive all the benefits the Lord has for me.
Be thankful in all things! Think about what God has done in your life, all that he has shielded you from. Take time to write down affirmations, open your mouth and say them aloud. He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. Luke 1:49. When the power of God shines brightly through my life my life becomes a sign of God’s grace in all that he has done for me.
Schedule your fun times with friends and family, whether it’s going out or by phone to stay connected. Don’t allow yourself to be isolated from the world that is the enemies tactics to make you feel alone. Why art thou cast down, oh my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope about in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. Psalms 42:11. I will not become discouraged when things are not going the way I think they should. I will continue to focus on doing the best job that I can and making myself available to the people that I love.
When you love yourself you can love others the way we were instructed to love them. Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these. Mark 12:31
