“You, as much as anyone in the universe, deserve your love, respect, kindness and compassion.”       -Buddah ( I paraphrased this quote for myself)

Let’s take a look at how we focus our time, energy and effort when we really value something like a new baby, or for some of us, a new pet. We are willing to adjust or even turn our world upside down for them, what time we get up, when they are fed, special food, how much time we spend with them, and much more. So, why don’t we care for ourselves in this way? Because we don’t feel we deserve it, we don’t feel worthy of taking amazing care of ourselves. Most of us never learned how to love and care for ourselves, and we were also taught that it was selfish.

So, what has been the result of not caring for ourselves? We don’t feel good inside, we judge, blame and criticize ourselves. Many of us are overweight, struggle with addictions, are in unhealthy relationships and we have no idea what we would enjoy doing.

What would happen if we took loving care of ourselves? We’d look and feel great, engage in healthy relationships, love what we do for work and we’d take time to do what makes us happy.

So, why not ask yourself “if I were going to take great care of myself, what would be the tiniest thing I could do to begin moving in that direction? What small thought or action would make me feel just a little bit better?” Then take that step… do that thing…and see how it feels inside. You may be surprised by what you discover.

When we love and value ourselves and feel we are worth caring for, our weight, our relationships, our work and what we choose to do with our free time will reflect that.

With love, Jackie