A healthy self-love means we have no compulsion to justify to ourselves or others why we take vacations, why we sleep late, why we buy new shoes, why we spoil ourselves from time to time.  We feel comfortable doing things which add quality and beauty to life.

~ Andrew Matthews

Last night I had a little bit of a wake-up call.  It’s not that I’ve been going a million miles a minute.  But I have been moving at the same old pace I usually do. Waking up, making breakfast, taking care of the house and going off for activities or errands here or there with the boys.  It’s probably why I love rainy days so much. Because it’s the one time I give myself the permission to lounge around the house. To snuggle in. To watch movies. To read books in the afternoon.

But when it’s sunny and gorgeous…I feel the need to get out.

So we’ve been doing just that.  The sand park.  Picnics at the arboretum.  Outings to the zoo. Storytime at the library.

But last night…I was tired.  Really wiped out.  And my pregnant body was giving me signs to slow it waaaaaaay down.

So I put my feet up. I drank a few glasses of water. And after getting the boys to sleep, with my husband’s help, I went to bed early.

I woke up feeling happy and refreshed.  The water and sleep definitely helped.  It also helped knowing I had a sitter scheduled for the morning so I could take myself on a date.  And that’s exactly what I did.  Rather than use those 4 precious hours alone to work or run errands, I dropped the list and made a trip to Whole Foods.  I snuck a salad and decaf latte into a morning movie.  itting in a dark theater, being transported to an imaginative world, was the recharge I needed!  I have truly been beaming ever since.

And my body feels so much better.

I’m paying attention. I’m drinking more water throughout the day.  I’m taking breaks in the afternoon.  And, man, what a difference it makes.

I love the quote I started this post with (found it from my friend Deb’s Self Care Blueprint course), because it reminds me that we don’t have to justify our need to take care of ourselves.  I don’t find myself justifying to others as much, but more in my own mind.  If I lay down for a nap I can hear myself saying, Well only for 20 minutes because you have this and this and this to do…  But there’s no reason to explain the need to rest and restore.  It’s a MUST.  It’s that filling of the well that makes us feel human again.  Recharging our energy pot is vital to our health and well being! Why do we feel the need to justify that?

So stop.

Listen to your body.

What’s it telling you?

Take better care of yourself. NOW. It’s a must.

You’ll be better off and so will the people in your life.

Why live this one life on empty? Drink more water. Get more rest.  Go on a walk.  Take yourself to a movie.  Call a dear friend.  Hop in that bubble bath.  Have some fun.  Go to that yoga class. Get your hands messy with paint.  Read a book in the afternoon. Take a nap on the hammock.  Eat well. Do whatever you need to do to take care of YOU.  And remember…there is no need to justify it to yourself or to anyone else for that matter.

The way you feel when you take better care of YOUR needs is all the justification you need.

Live better. Feel better. And start…today!

Your Personal Reflection:

What kind of self-care are you in need of right now?