Have you ever felt guilty for making time for yourself?

Maybe you’d like to indulge in more self care, but every time you consider slowing down it feels like “That’s a waste of time” or “I have more important things to do” or “I don’t really deserve time to myself”.

Sound familiar? I used to be in that place too.

At one point during my undergrad, I remember having 5 different babysitting jobs, a full schedule of classes, and a to-do list that was a mile long. 

I was constantly rushing around, obsessed with being busy, super productive, and achieving new goals. 

I thought that having a full schedule and a “go-go-go mentality” was a sign of success. And that when someone asked me how I was doing, answering “busy and exhausted” was something to be proud of! 

But in reality, I was totally overwhelmed, exhausted, and stressed out. 

I wasn’t allowing myself space to slow down and relax. 

I thought that if I took time out of my busy schedule to focus on me, that would feel like a waste of time. As a busy person, I assumed that taking time for myself would only cause me to get behind on my to-do list and make me feel even more stressed.

But when I decided to put my self care first, everything changed.

Here are just a few of the things I started doing:

• Practicing mindfulness and meditation
• Journaling
• Spending more time in nature
• Creating boundaries to protect my energy
• Investing in my personal development
• Making time for joy, fun, and relaxation
• Deep breathing

As I started doing more of these things, I began letting go of my desire for perfection, releasing the idea that self care was “selfish” or “a waste of time”, and I started realizing my worth.

While I still love being productive, I now put my self care FIRST. I realized that if I’m not happy & healthy, I really can’t be operating at my best. 

There’s so much I want to be able to do in my lifetime.. But if I’m not putting my self care first, how can I possibly expect to make a difference in this world? How can I truly accomplish the things I want to accomplish if I’m neglecting my self care needs?

How do you overcome self care guilt?

1. Know your worth

You are so worthy! You deserve every single relaxing night in, spa trip, and bubble bath. You deserve the time spent on the inner work- whether that’s reading personal development books, working with a life coach or therapist, or journaling all of your thoughts.

You deserve to go after your desires, your wants, and your needs.

2. Connect it to something greater than yourself

When you practice self care, you give other women permission to do the same. So often, as women, we feel like it’s our duty to care for others. We put other people’s needs before our own… I’ve been there! There are too many women out there neglecting their own happiness and wellbeing for the sake of other people.

This needs to change and you can be part of the change by showing up for yourself first! When you show up to love YOU, you give other women to show up to love themselves. This is how self care can change the world.

3. Love yourself!

Love who you are, imperfections and all. Often times, the things that may appear to us as flaws or negative qualities are really the things that make us the strongest.

In what ways can you shift your mindset to see your imperfections as beautiful?

It’s taken a lot of inner work and self care, but today I live a life that feels calm, relaxed, and grounded. Each and every day, I make the time to slow down, do things that make me feel good, and live more in the present moment. 

I still have my days and moments of stress or anxiety, but overall, life feels so good!

I refuse to let stress and busy-ness control my life or overwhelm me. 

And that’s why I created Lovely Holistic Living! It’s my mission to help women who are stressed out create a calm, grounded, and balanced life. I love helping women slow down, live more in the present moment, and prioritize their self care.

Can you relate to all of this? If so, I want to remind you that self care is not selfish, it’s essential! Sign up in the form below to get the password to my (FREE!) private resource library. It’s where I keep all of my free printables, mini-workbooks, and other resources to help you live a calm and balanced life.

When you sign up, you’ll also receive weekly emails from me containing tons of self care & mindfulness tips and inspiration. I’m so excited for you to join me!!