Hi everyone—bonjour tout le monde! It has occurred to me that I often forget the importance of self-care and its many facets. Getting a miserable four hours of sleep every night, blaming myself over past mistakes, having recurrent negative thoughts… These are all things I find myself doing, and they are the opposite of self-care. Self-care is both a physical and a mental matter, they go hand in hand.
So here’s a little trick I’ve learned from a dear friend of mine: try seeing yourself from a different perspective. Treat yourself as you would treat anyone you love. After all, we tend to judge ourselves more harshly than others.
Working on yourself is key. It includes many things: healing from your struggles, accepting your insecurities, learning from your mistakes. It may feel hard to overcome your inner conflicts, but don’t forget you’ll always be by your own side. I recently read something in an article that really resonated with me: “if you see it as a battle, the only one you fight is yourself”.
To win is sometimes to surrender
—Here’s the link to the article if it interests you—Of course everyone moves at their own pace, please consider that. Any small achievement is already an achievement: celebrate your small victories !
For some people it might be getting out of bed, breathing some fresh air or making a friend. These all qualify as self-care.
It could be building a healthy habit to get yourself through the days… or breaking free from a toxic one. Habits and routine are double-edged swords, so maintaining a balance is what you have to keep in mind.
Personally, changing things up and trying something new always works: it reminds me that life is full of surprises and you can never run out of things to love or learn (cheesy, I know, but it works doesn’t it ?). Whatever makes you feel good is enough.
I believe in looking after yourself like you were your one true love (I would even argue that we all are), that means daily compliments, taking yourself on dates, buying flowers solely for you because you do deserve love and attention.
For a long time, I didn’t see the appeal in celebrating birthdays, probably because I couldn’t see anything to celebrate in myself. But now I realize, being alive and having made it this far is already enough of an accomplishment. In fact, it’s a pretty amazing one—celebrate yourself for existing ! Don’t think about tomorrow, don’t think about yesterday. Simply realize that in this moment, you matter a great deal. And that’s why you should take care of yourself, always. That’s it for this article, thanks for reading ! See you next Monday, Sophie