Indulge

Have you ever felt that caring for yourself, taking time for YOU, was self-indulgent, egotistical even? People might especially tell you this if you are a spouse or a parent or if you are just generally expected to take care of others, maybe even at work.

I would say this and ask you to trust me when I say it:

Taking care of yourself is not an act of greed. It is an act of love, survival even.

When you take care of YOU, many things happen. Here are just two.

When you take care of yourself you show others, especially those you love, that you are important. Don't you want them to think that....that you are important, so that they will then realize that they are too? You will model for them self-love, respect, care. By taking care of you, you show those you love that they should do the same.

When you take care of yourself you also have more energy, more peace, more love, more compassion, more joY, more, more, more. You have more to give to others. People say all the time that you can't care for anyone else if you don't take care of yourself first, but if often just sounds like flowery language doesn't it? It is not.

It is truth.

You CAN take CARE of yourself without taking AWAY from others. These are two separate things and you will know the difference. Trust that.

Indulge in yourself. You deserve it. So do those who love you.

Jeannette Maloy

joY Yoga