What if we put ourselves first this week?
By "first," I mean taking care of ourselves. As a priority, as our goal of the week, we're taking care of ourselves. For everyone, that's going to mean something different. But essentially, we're asking, "What do I need to be nurtured? What basic things do I need to do or have or to not do or not have to feel some peace of mind?"
I feel stuck to go any further with this blog post, because I never know what's best for anyone else, as far as giving any suggestions here. Even for myself, it changes every day -- what I need and what I don't need. But when I put myself first, somehow I find myself moving in the direction of being kinder to myself. Oftentimes it's just that; a sense of kindness.
I don't want this to sound airy-fairy or New Agey. It's weird writing this and not being in the room with you because I don't want it to sound generic, like something that's on a poster. But I've discovered by working with clients that sometimes the things people want are basic and simple, and not that hard to acquire. We've been trained to think certain products, or winning the lottery, or winning some recognition from others will finally make us feel better.
But I think it's on a much simpler level. "What do I need right now, that I can do for myself?"
For example, one of my clients was having such upheaval with his wife that he kept thinking he was doing something wrong and that he needed to be a better partner. Upon further questioning, it became clear that he was being abused in the relationship. When people are abused, they often feel they're doing something wrong and they need to be better. When he realized the relationship was debilitating for him, he let go of the relationship. He started to feel some peace of mind, because he put himself first.
Sometimes it's on an even simpler level.
I had a client who was a manager in a company; she didn't take time out in the day to use the bathroom. She would make herself wait until she had more work done. After I worked with her, she decided she would take better care of herself by using the bathroom when she needed to.
So look inside. What is it that you need, to take care of yourself, right now?