Often when we focus on self-care, we think about what we haven’t done or “should” do. We make lists to “do this, don’t do that.”
My suggestion today is that we CELEBRATE!
Body:
CELEBRATE YOUR BODY – the good and the less than perfect; what works great and what hurts or causes pain; what you love and what you wish was different. Celebrate the body that has carried you to this day.
Mind:
CELEBRATE YOUR MIND – when you are quick and alert, and when you feel like you’re in a fog. Whether you were a straight A student or you dropped out of school. Don’t allow someone else’s grading scale determine your brilliance. Celebrate the beauty of your mind with all its complexity.
Spirit:
CELEBRATE YOUR SPIRIT – your up moods and your down. Allow yourself to feel. Pay attention to how you feel. Don’t judge – just honor. Honor each and every emotion. Celebrate all the feels. [I want to honor the reality that some of us live with emotions that are difficult to manage, like depression. I do not want to be flippant. I offer that while living with depression it is possible to honor the wonderful person you are. We do not need to allow this disease to define us.]
Celebrate all that you have and are in body, mind and spirit – and all that you already do to take care of yourself.
Celebrating is so important, but is an easy piece to neglect. Thank you for this reminder.
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Donna, isn’t it so easy to focus on what needs to be better than celebrating what is? Thanks for joining the conversation.
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I love this idea. You’re right we should celebrate all these parts of ourselves.
I celebrate my body every night. I’ll add in the other two too.
This would make for great inspiration for my birthday month too!
I guess I started celebrating my body because that was hard for me. It’s gotten better so…there is something positive to this practice!
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So great that celebrating your body has been a positive practice. I do hope celebrating your mind and emotions bring the same sense of positivity for you. And – happy birthday month – if it is this month…Thanks for joining the conversation.
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Thank you! I’ll hold your wishes until June 🙂
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What a wonderful thought! You’re right – we’re so much better at beating ourselves up rather than celebrating ourselves.
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Yes, Trisha — don’t we often like to beat ourselves up? So much more fun to celebrate! Thanks for joining the conversation.
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Yes! Yes! Yes! We do need to celebrate ourselves Janet, I couldn’t agree more. I particularly loved your point about not ‘allowing someone else’s grading scale to determine your brilliance’ what an important point to remember. Thank you for this tip and I will be sharing in my FB Live over the coming weeks. x
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Sue – so happy this idea resonated with you. And thank you for spreading the word in your FB live. How much happier our world would be if we all celebrated the good a bit more. Thanks for joining the conversation.
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This is beautiful, Janet. My biggest celebration is Spirit, especially because of my anxiety that pops out of nowhere. When I’m in a good state of mind, spirit is something I can truly believe in. When I’m in a panic mode, I struggle with the spirit but have no other choice but to feel it. Whether it’s good or bad, we need to celebrate one of these for sure. Thank you for sharing! Great reminder!
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Bren – aren’t anxiety and depression such ‘bears’ to deal with. I’ve found that by honoring the depression when it hits, and not letting it define me but instead defining it – it is not as consuming and I can celebrate the empathy and compassion I gain from it. So sorry about your anxiety – I hope in the feeling you find some moment to celebrate. Thanks for joining the conversation.
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I’m really enjoying the self-care approach. I don’t celebrate myself enough! Thanks for the reminder.
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Pat – I hope you are celebrating the brilliant mind and loving heart that pulled your book together to share your wisdom with others! Glad you appreciate the self-care approach! Thanks for joining the conversation.
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I’m a little late to this bloggy series…catching up now. I think it’s apt that I’ve started with celebrate 🙂
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Jo – thanks so much for catching up and joining the conversation. Better late than never. CELEBRATE!
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There are 2 wonderful sentences in here – “Celebrate the body that has carried you to this day” and
“Don’t allow someone else’s grading scale determine your brilliance.” These 2 comments may easily be the best advice I read all day. This shouldn’t be so hard for us to do … and yet it is.
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I agree Joanne! Those two sentences stood out for me too!
https://meinthemiddlewrites.com/2019/04/04/a-to-z-challenge-april-world-holidays-letter-d/
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Mary Lou – I’m so delighted that you found those sentences helpful. Thanks for joining the conversation.
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Joanne, thank you for your encouraging comment. I am humbled that you found my thoughts ‘the best advice’. It really is so simple – and yet so hard, isn’t it. And in reading your quote, I found a typo in my original. LOL. Let’s continue to encourage one another. Thanks for joining the conversation.
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Joanne – I accidentally replied to you under MaryLou’s comment. I hope you saw it!
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Growing up with confession the focus was on the “fails”. I much prefer your idea of celebrate.
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Ah – the joys of confession — calendared every 6 weeks in my home. Fails and guilt drove so much back then. Celebrations motivate, don’t they? Thanks for joining the conversation.
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