You deserve self-care.
I wonder? How are we to know that we deserve self-care if others are disrespecting lives? Our lives or other people’s lives. I am referring to political disrespect for minorities, religious disrespect of different religions and for relational disrespect for those weaker than themselves. There is one way to really get me outraged and it is this type of thing. I am not singling out one specific deed, done in the past week, but every act done by humanity to humanity, whatever it is. When we have disrespected (in any manner, as a child or adult) we feel worthless. There are many ways that we may feel like the ‘more powerful’ one or the ‘weaker’ one in a situation.

What I mean to say is that we all deserve respect no matter what one’s race or creed or age or gender.

Why does this relate to self-care?
As the ‘superior’ person we wield tremendous power over ‘an other’: parent, family leaders, teacher, religious leader, youth leader, boss, political leader etc. If we use our leadership power for good we lift up our whole community, not just the individual. We build into our community. If we break someone else down we break our whole community. Our community erodes.  Our behaviour towards others normally says more about our own values and what we think and feel about ourselves than the other person. Our actions are a window into our own souls. So revealing.

If your self-worth has been eroded away by someone who thinks they are superior to you it is time to do something about it. You are worth self-care; your community will flourish too as you take steps to care for yourself; you will be in better shape to care for others.

Self-care might be hard to grasp if you don’t already care for yourself; really care: self-respect, self-worth, self-esteem. When you have been made to feel worthless or that you don’t matter then self-care takes a backseat. There was a time when I use to think that I didn’t matter, that I had no value but that was a false illusion, like a net thrown over me, keeping me captive, creating perceived limitations and a malaise of complacent dejection. Now, through self-care, I have come to believe that I am part of the community and that my life impacts yours either for good or for bad. I want it to be for good. So I owe it to myself and to you to care for myself as much as I care for you/ or I care for you as much as I care for myself.    

I will be back soon with some more thoughts on self-care.

Take care – life is a gift use it well.