The very first affirmation in my new inspirational book, Dear Lauren, Love Mom: 31 Days of Affirmations for My Daughter, for Myself, and for YOU, is I AM WORTH IT – Just As I Am. So many of us believe we have to earn our worth by doing things for others. We feel guilty when we even think about ourselves.  Another affirmation in Dear Lauren, Love Mom says, “Selfish is: It’s all about me. I do what I want, when I want, and I don’t care about anybody else.” Those of us who inherited the nurturing gene couldn’t behave that way if someone paid us big bucks to do it. Dear Lauren, Love Mom also says, “Self-care is: It’s about me too.” Here are a few ideas to help you start taking care of yourself.

Recognize and accept your true feelings.                                                                                                                           We lock our needs and feelings away when we fear they will overwhelm us and cause us to behave in ways we will regret. In fact, feelings are neither good nor bad, they just are. We choose how to behave. You can acknowledge your anger without going out and punching anyone. Feelings control our behavior only if we make them more powerful by ignoring and repressing them. Connect with and embrace your feelings. Check out one of the many books and online resources about mindfulness. Accept your feelings and use that understanding to choose how to behave.

Learn What Love Is. You deserve it.

We also hide our true feelings for fear of losing people’s love and approval. Is it love if that person rejects who we really are?  Open the bible and check out 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Use it as a template to measure whether there is love in your relationships. Are the people patient, kind, or any of the other descriptions in the scripture?

 

Dear Lauren, Love Mom: 31 Days of Affirmations for My Daughter, for Myself, and for YOU is available at Amazon.com. Give copies to people you love and want to encourage. Make sure one of those people is YOU.

 

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Dr. Cheryl spent almost 40 years teaching and practicing geriatric medicine while raising a family and walking with her mother on a 10-year journey with Alzheimer's disease. In retirement, she is a professional speaker and consultant on family caregiving and how health systems can offer compassionate and appropriate care to people who live with chronic medical conditions and demonstrate cost-effective use of health resources. She also guides women to commit to self-care, set appropriate relationship boundaries, and reclaim their joy. Dr. Cheryl is also a multi-published author about these topics and also an author of romance fiction for grown women.