From the time you wake up in the morning, turn off the snooze button and rush to prepare yourself for the day to the time you brave the long commute home in the evening, people need you. They’re counting on you to get reports in on time, prepare nutritious meals, provide emotional support, and handle the unexpected stresses of the day with grace and poise. These are just a few of the reasons why you have every right to pat yourself on the back occasionally. Unfortunately, most of society expects us to juggle the world on our shoulders while plastering a smile on our faces and displaying a false humility that makes everyone else feel comfortable.
Being a woman is rewarding, challenging, tough, and beautiful. That’s why you deserve to celebrate your triumphs without feeling guilty or thinking that you’ll come across as conceited. After all, you have no problem encouraging and uplifting others, and there’s a good chance they have no problem accepting the accolades.
It’s time to embrace the fact that self-care is just as important as the care you give to everyone else and celebrating yourself is a great way to do that. Here are some of the ways you can let go of the fear of giving yourself the credit you deserve.
Take Time to Reflect
Start letting go of your fear of celebrating yourself by taking some time to reflect on the things you love about yourself. Think about your latest accomplishments and the character traits that you’ve always admired in yourself. Consider the ways that you’re always willing to help others and extend this same love and patience to yourself. This will help you to become more comfortable with giving yourself credit for how far you’ve come.
Do What You Love
One of the best ways to celebrate yourself without fear is to do what you love. Making time to engage in a hobby you enjoy or going shopping for a new look you’ve been wanting to try are ways that you honor the truth of who you are and celebrate yourself just for being you. Of course, this can also spill over into life-changing choices, such as getting out of a toxic friendship or relationship or finally pursuing the career or your dreams. When you become unafraid to go after what you love, other people in your life will observe this energy and treat you accordingly.
State Your Needs
Before you can let your loved ones and colleagues know what you need to be your best self, you must feel comfortable admitting these things to yourself. It may help to keep a journal, so you can pay attention to your thoughts and feelings and catch yourself when you’re not being authentic or trying too hard to please others to your detriment. This will help you ease your fear of doing what is best for you and congratulating yourself when you make healthy choices.
Have More “Me” Time
Finally, remember it’s perfectly healthy to take time for yourself. Even if you don’t get a chance to take a weekend vacation alone or spend hours at the spa, you should still try to spend time renewing yourself and recharging your mind and spirit. “Me time” could be reading your favorite book before bed each night or waking up earlier than everyone else to enjoy a cup of tea and meditate. These small things are self-celebration in themselves because they allow you to calmly engage in the things you love, which frees up your mind to consider all the reasons you deserve to treat yourself well.