Whether you are trying to battle food addiction, lose weight, heal physically or just simply be well there is this one vital part we often neglect in our journey towards wellbeing.
How do I know it? Well, if I am truthful, I have fought it screaming and kicking for most of my life.
I pumped more energy in resisting the true underlining reasons for my declining health thinking that jumping from one diet to another will sort my health. I assume that by simply drinking more green juice or becoming vegan my whole wellbeing will just materialise itself in the form of a fantastic agile and full of energy me.
Imagine my surprise when that was not the case, yes, I know shocker.
One after another health problem I would dig deeper into the nutrition, look for another superfood and another supplement, another amazing root from far-away-land which has all the answer to my fatigue, my mood swings, aches or my exhaustion.
And please don’t get me wrong, ALL THOSE things have their own valid place in aiding our body in recovery, and I can’t wait to tell you more about it, but. What I am trying to say is that I was more focused on solving one specific thing, changing one thing in my diet or adding new supplements because I was convinced that it will fix everything.
It’s like trying to take a wet wipe and clean your face of while your full body is covered in sticky mud. I mean, sure, it will work for the face, you may even see your face reflection in the mirror and think you are all clean and sorted, but the mud is still there.
That is the vital difference between a diet and lifestyle change or health and holistic health. The first one is like using a wet wipes to clean just part of a problem, the second one is like taking hot long well deserved shower.
So, if you are booted and ready please sit down because I am going to hit you with it.
The vital element that is missing in our journey towards true wellbeing is self-love.
Yes, that’s right there is some serious ‘woo woo’ shit going on here. So if you are not ready for it click the x button and get yourself out of here.
The element missing in our journey towards true wellbeing is self-love. It is so hard for us to allow ourselves to rest, practice self-care, give ourselves a break, accept who we are or to do what it takes to feel better or look better. Although please believe me when I say it: You are absolutely beautiful the way you are!
You are amazing individual who is one of a kind., you are beautiful spirit in your human body. Until you give yourself at least piece of the love you have towards your husband, sibling, child, parent or a friend you will be pumping your energy into the bottomless pit. What is really sad about so many of us (and I am absolutely guilty of this too), it’s that we often have more love or compassion towards others then ourselves. And it’s time to say enough. It is time to give some of that beautiful energy to yourself.
Loving yourself will not sort every problem in your life but it sure will make you feel like you can tackle it all, because the truth is: YOU CAN.
So, I challenge you to do an act of self-love at least once a day. And no, I am not going to ask you to abandon your life and live in a hippie-land. Start where you are at the moment. Make yourself cup of coffee and enjoy drinking it with no distractions, allow yourself to slow down, switch off your phone for 15 minutes and go for a walk in nature, read a book just for fun, take a bath with your favourite oils or long relaxing hot shower, listen to music or dance in the kitchen.
Do whatever it is for you to feel JOY.
As we are already here, do one thing you know will serve you, your health and your body; drink water, eat a salad, have a green juice or go to bed earlier.
Make the decision of doing things because you appreciate your body and yourself. Because you want to feel great and be healthy, not because you dislike it.
I am guilty of it all. I have avoided any form of rest and relax for years, have been focused so strongly on diet itself> I switched to eating loads of vegetables and fruits, using organic produce and ecological cosmetics and household cleaning products. What I did not do for years is to actually allow myself to feel any compassion toward myself. It was unthinkable for me to allow the thought that maybe what my body needs right now is a long sleep, a half an hour of rest or bit of space to clear my mind. Years of lacking any self-compassion and avoiding the real problem caused me severe adrenal fatigue.
I wish I would listen to my body screaming for REST and some deep self-care, but then I would not be able to be here right now and share all my wonderful mistakes with you.
What we all really need is a holistic view on our lives and our wellbeing.
Great nutrition is fantastic when we allow the body to recover and the mind to switch of every now and then, exercises are amazing as long as we also take time to rest.
There is place for everything in our lives but there is need for balance in order to maintain true wellbeing.
How have you managed to take care of yourself today? What did you decide to do regularly to practice self-appreciation? Do you struggle with allowing yourself to rest or relax?
