If I asked you to name all the things that you love, how long would it take for you to name yourself?
Ever notice when you are in an airplane when they are going through the safety procedures you are to attach the oxygen mask to yourself FIRST before helping others? It seems pretty obvious why this is, however, it also applies to your everyday life.
Oh, I know, I can hear some of you stating, Heidi, you are out of touch, you don’t have a husband, children, a house, a job, and all the activities that go along with that. You are correct, I don’t at this time. However, that doesn’t mean you get to put yourself last to all the life items. Because, going back to the oxygen mask, if you don’t take care of yourself, none of the rest of the items matter.
So, what if, even for a week, you choose yourself first? Yes, some people in your family and friends will be upset, they will try to guilt you into focusing on them first. That’s okay. They are used to the feeling of you giving to them first. Let them get used to being second.
I used to really struggle with making myself first until I realized when I was crying in bed at night, hating my life, hating that I always gave to so many and never to myself that those people didn’t realize the sacrifices I was making. When I started to put myself first, taking care of my needs first, my life opened up and I felt much better about life in general. I also learned that by honoring myself and leaving an event because I felt tired, overwhelmed or just felt done with being around people I felt better. I had people try to guilt me into staying but that was their needs wanting to be met, not mine.
How can you look at Valentine’s Day in a different light? What can you do for yourself to show self-love? What if, you looked inside yourself, saw that glitter of love, no matter how small or large and allowed it to just be, even for a moment? Imagine everyone learning to self-love! Imagine how the world would look! Imagine the peace, love, joy and light that would happen!
