Taking Time For Yourself Is Not Selfish - It Is Self Care

Even just a few minutes out of your day to be there for yourself can help you be the best version of you that you can be.

It’s not vanity, it’s self care. And there’s a difference

When you invest time in yourself, you take pride in yourself. When you take pride in yourself, the confidence you gain exudes through you and draws good things in. When you invest time in yourself, you make yourself a priority. When you make yourself a priority, you don’t let everything else going on bulldoze your peace of mind. When you invest time in yourself, you get to know yourself. When you know yourself better, you are more in touch with what makes you happy and what makes you less so. Someone who has confidence in themselves, understands their needs and desires, takes pride in themselves, and shields their well-being, is more likely to go out into the world and take on whatever challenge they are faced with.

It is HARD sometimes to convince ourselves that we are not being selfish by building in some “me time” into every day, and even more so for safe guarding that time. We, as a society, are programmed to think that this kind of thing is integrally selfish… but I want to reassure you that it is not. We all have to take care of ourselves before we are able to take care of others. Think about what airline stewardess’s reminder every time you board a plane, before you take flight - “put on your oxygen mask on before securing the masks of others, even small children.” Remembering that message is the best way to give yourself some grace for taking care of you first. You cannot pour from an empty cup so it is OKAY to make yourself a priority. It is OKAY to put yourself on your list.

There’s no rule book that says what the time you invest in yourself has to look like - so don’t be narrow minded when you think about it. For some, “time for yourself” looks like a typical pamper session while for others it may be meditation, a coffee date with a good friend, reading a good book, wandering the mall, or dancing like no one is watching, or maybe something else! It looks different for everyone and that is another thing to remember is OKAY. There’s no shame in non traditional forms of self care here. The point is to do something that makes your head feel clear and your soul feel connected and alive.

Don’t be afraid to try different things out. It’s OKAY to not know yourself (yet) and what makes you tick the loudest. There’s courage in experimentation and the more you try the more free and in tune with yourself you might feel. When you feel like you’ve made yourself a priority among the crazy, the stress, and the business that is our lives, you feel like you matter no matter what. This is important because when you know that you matter, you know your self worth, you know that you are deserving… of love, of abundance, and of the good things you have been working towards.

I’m interested, what you do for your “me time”, and how to do make it a priority?

Share your answer by commenting below!