Nurturing Yourself and Others - Clinical Holistic Psychotherapy by Santa

In the last blog, I shared about how those of us who have been through trauma need to mother ourselves. This starts with self- care – the act of nurturing and giving to self.

You cannot help anyone else until your fill your own cup first. At first, you may feel guilty for taking time for yourself. Once you start doing this regularly, you will see the benefit for your being, as well as the ripple effect on those around you.

Nurturing yourself starts with putting yourself on your to-do list. Just as you would not cancel an appointment with another person, don’t cancel that time with yourself. Give yourself at least five minutes a day of uninterrupted time that you spend on you. This can be when you arrive in the parking lot of the grocery store or even while you are waiting for the kettle to boil. The point is to make a conscious commitment to yourself to spend at least 5 minutes of your day on you – either breathe or meditate or listen to an audio that uplifts you. In doing so, you reset yourself. If you can carve out more mini pockets of time throughout your day, then do it. During this time, don’t think about your worries, your list of things to do, or things that are weighing on you. Make this time about you. It can be as simple as taking deep breaths for 5 minutes straight. What you are doing is pressing pause on your being, allowing yourself to reset your state of mind, and creating emotional harmony.

The second part of nurturing yourself is to release any negative emotions or voices that come up because you’re giving to self. When you honor your being by giving yourself what you need, you can be at your best for everyone else. When the negative emotions or voices surface, stop and ask yourself where they comes from, and then release them into the ether.

Finally, take at least one action a day that moves you forward in the direction that fits you and your life. It can be making a dream list; taking one small step, even if it is just researching your dream, learning a new skill, or giving yourself a manicure. The point is to feed your soul by giving to you. Make this a daily practice and in 30 days you will have shifted your life in a more positive and healing direction.

No matter where you are right now, or what your financial situation is, you can still give time to your being. Nurturing yourself is the most healing action you can take for yourself.