Written by: Lynne Wadsworth, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We all know that February is the month of Love. The month when we can show our loved ones what they mean to us. While we all enjoy doing that, have you considered how you can be kinder and gentler to yourself – and to show yourself more love? We often overlook ourselves when it comes to the concept of ‘LOVE’ but it’s a key element to our overall well-being and feelings of happiness.
February is a great time for self-reflection and for finding ways to give ourselves the love and honor we deserve. Many of us battle the little critical, negative gremlin voice that is incessantly chattering in our ears about our flaws and shortcomings. If that describes you, then now is the perfect opportunity to become more compassionate with yourself and to learn to love who you are. You are unique. You have incredible gifts and talents to share with the world. You have the power to make a significant difference in the lives of those you connect with. You truly are one-of-a-kind.
I’ve put together some suggestions for how you can make time for yourself and incorporate more of what you love into your life:
1. Be Honest With Yourself
If you could create your perfect life, what would it be? Write down the things that you’d like to have more time for in your life. Maybe that would be reading, learning a new hobby, or spending time with people that you enjoy being around.
2. This is a Great Time to Reflect
It helps to make a list of what you currently spend your time on. Be sure to include things like working at your job or in your business, caring for your children, and running errands. Think of this exercise as a synopsis of your weekly life. Next, compare what you spend your time on with what you’d like to spend more of your time on each week.
3. Decide What You Can Compromise On
You might not be able to change the fact that you have to go to work, but you can change how you travel back and forth. Maybe the stress of driving is wearing you down. If that’s you, then instead of making yourself crazy, try making the commute more enjoyable. Depending on where you live, you could try taking the subway, and if you can, read while you’re on the train.
On the other hand, if you have to drive, then you could make it a more enjoyable experience. Jam out with your favorite music, or listen to a podcast that entertains you or supports self-development. Maybe when you drive, you’re able to take a little time to reflect on your life or engage in the spiritual side of your life. You could even plan your weekend or your next vacation.
4. Get Your “But” Out of the Way
If you’re always saying you want to do something and adding “but” in there afterward, it’s time to change that way of thinking. Those three little letters are convincing you that you don’t deserve the things you want more of when the truth is, you do deserve it.
Let’s look at a common place where you add “but” in your life. You need to get groceries for your family. No one can deny that’s not important (although a necessity). “I want to take that new hot yoga class, but I have to go to the supermarket.” Well, that’s not exactly correct!
Our marvelous online world allows you to order all of the things you need and either run by and have it brought out to your car or even better, delivered to your door. Problem solved. Many people take full advantage of the convenient grocery pick-up or delivery service.
The “but” sneaks into our excuses everywhere. If we get invited somewhere we often might respond instead with something like, “I’d love to go but I have to make dinner.” Is that really the truth though? You can prep those meals on your Sunday and voila, not just your day but your week is all planned out for you! Your early evenings are free to pick up another pursuit.
Take every opportunity life presents to create more of what brings you joy or leads to more life enrichment. The timing may never be perfect for that next big step in your life. The setup may not be ideal, but that shouldn’t hold you back from striving to reach your goals and dreams. Instead, seize the moment because it may never come back.
Make Yourself a Priority
Don’t feel bad about doing this. For women especially, it can become second nature to put others first. It’s what we’ve been taught and programmed to do. And while there’s a time and place for this, it shouldn’t be a habit that costs you your mental or emotional well-being.
We’re so trained to feel guilty for indulging in the things we want, but we need to do those things because we can’t be our best for everyone else if we don’t take care of ourselves. Find the time to decompress.
Without decompressing and recharging you can put a serious strain on yourself. Whether it’s spending a luxurious day in bed or outdoors in nature, find what helps you decompress and dedicate time to this.
And, be kind to yourself. The world is full of harsh words and critiques — don’t add your own negativity to the mix. Speak kindly to yourself, and avoid saying negative things to yourself. In fact…take it to the opposite side of the spectrum.
Celebrate yourself. Celebrate your successes, your milestones, your little victories as well as your massive ones. You’ve come so far and grown so much.
This month – and every month thereafter - be sure to celebrate yourself — it’s not something you’re only allowed to do on your birthday! We absolutely need to do those things because we can’t be our best for everyone else if we don’t take care of ourselves. So take a moment in your day to think about yourself, and determine…What are 3 things you want to make more room for in your life?
For me, I’d love to have time to read more, spend more time in nature, and participate in different fun activities each week. I’d love to know what your 3 things are. If you’d like some help figuring out how you can make more time for yourself – or setting up a self-care routine that’s right for you, I’d love to chat.
Book your free ‘HEALTHY YOU’ Clarity Call by sending an email here. Let’s chat!
Read more from Lynne!
Lynne Wadsworth, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Lynne Wadsworth is the owner and founder of Holistic Health & Wellness, LLC. and an AADP Certified Holistic Health practitioner who earned her certification through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York. She is also a Certified Wellness Cooking Instructor. After being a "professional yo-yo dieter" for most of her life which led to disease, sickness and daily migraines, Lynne decided enough was enough and went on to create her own strategies to dramatically decrease her migraines, learning to ditch the "diet mentality, enhance her energy exponentially, easy lifestyle changes that lead to permanent healthy lifestyle changes, while making these solutions easy for her clients. Lynne’s area of expertise involves working with women who are tired of the changes they see and experience on a daily basis leading to fatigue, weight gain, inflammation and less than optimal health. She helps them achieve a higher level of health, allowing them to experience more energy, less belly bloat, fewer mood swings, headaches, sugar cravings, and weight loss. She believes that living in health and wellness takes in many areas of our lives and approaches her work holistically - not just with diet and healthy eating. She has dedicated her life to helping her clients make permanent changes with easy-to-incorporate simple steps to health, while helping others unleash the true miracle of life within their own body. She is also an author of two books on migraine prevention as well as being host to the Living Life Naturally podcast, educating on the power of a natural, healthy life. She has been a blogger on CureJoy, earned Top Honors in the Health Coaching Field with International Association of Top Professional (as seen on ABC, NBC, Fox and CW), Outstanding Professional of the Year for The International Society of Business Leaders and Professional of the Year at NAPW.
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