Ever thought, “oh I’m going to have a glass of wine, I’ve worked really hard this week and I deserve it”? I’m pretty sure we all have, or at least with our treat of choice. There appears to be such a tendency in our busy world to feel that we have to earn our rewards…
Something that I’ve struggled with greatly is feeling I am worth it. Am I worth the rest, the night on the sofa doing nothing, drinks with my friends, half an hour doing yoga before bed so that I sleep better? Or should I be working harder, longer hours so that I achieve more and make myself ‘better’? Far too often it’s the latter and that shouldn’t be so. We are all worth it. 100%. Whatever ‘it’ may be, you don’t have to earn it. If it’s going to help you relax and let go then do it. There’s no reason not to.
Even when you think you don’t have enough time to look after yourself. Since when did “I don’t have enough time for breakfast” become a sign of achievement? Taking that little bit of extra time out from your week will not only give you a bit of breathing space but it will also mean that when you do go back to work, or training, you are that much more productive. You will get more done.
During this first term of my Masters I’ve made a conscious effort to take a bit more time out to look after myself. During my undergraduate degree I was, quite frankly, an unhealthy mess. This time round I’ve learnt from my mistakes. At 9pm each night I turn off my work and try to dial down my (over)thinking ready for sleep. I’ve been working on saying “no” to more things. Yes, this can get bloody boring sometimes but it means that I’m not a hopeless exhausted mess whilst trying to write a zillion essays. It honestly works, and I feel so much better for it.
Sometimes it just takes a bit of escapism for the world to be okay again. This might be from a long candlelit bath, a (large) glass of wine, your favourite meal, an extra workout for a bit of you time, skipping a workout for a bit of you time, an early night, a late night out with friends or just because that Netflix marathon ran away with you… anything that helps you to look after yourself a bit better.
So this Sunday, and over the busy holiday period, do something for you. Nobody else, just you. You don’t have to earn it, you don’t need to worry whether you’ve got the time. However small ‘it’ may be, you’re worth it.
Pop on over to Ange’s blog for some more self-care this Sunday..
Cherries & Chisme 
Love, love, love this! I could not agree more!
Thank youuuu 🙂
YES! Just what I’ve been thinking this morning – I’ve dedicated today as a total ‘me’ day. It was a nuts week, but I did manage to say a few no’s in order to be good to myself – like skipping a workout for more sleep. This is the kind of thing that would have made me feel guilty a while ago, but I’ve gotten much better at recognising when I need a little TLC. It isn’t always easy though, so your post was a great reminder of making sure I do that more!
Oh it sure isn’t easy, it’s definitely getting easier but I still find myself struggling. Hope this week’s been better 🙂
It’s great that you’re taking time to look after yourself. I’ve never thought it was weird before to say I “deserve” to do something, but thinking again, it seems a bit strange. Maybe we should accept that our indulgences are okay! Thanks for the post. 🙂
It’s funny isn’t it? We do it all the time but when you step back and think about it, it seems so odd!
Thank you! This is just what I needed today. I took my usual rest day yesterday and woke up today feeling like I just didn’t want to hit the gym. So I didn’t. But I’ve also been questioning if I should just go anyway. I think it’s a good weekend for a full rest.
Aw good, so glad it helped! I don’t think anyone can ever regret rest, you’ll just be even stronger the next workout 🙂