Matters of Mindfulness: Why Is Self Care Considered Selfish?

As a person whose diagnosed with severe anxiety, one of the things that my therapist tells me to do is self-care, which is do something that makes you happy or take care of yourself. For me, this is reading, going for a run, getting a cup of Starbucks' lovely Tazo Iced Tea, eating a particularly good cupcake or just watching Netflix. (Basically, anything that isn't a responsibility or school assignment, which seems to have taken over my life as of late.)

However, to some, taking a few minutes to just relax and take care of yourself isn't essential. It's selfish. I don't know how, because it's important to take care of a mental illness just as you would take care of a physical one. It keeps you healthy, and it keeps you sane.
Let me ask you something. When you're sick, what are you told to do? Get some sleep, get some rest and take care of yourself. The same goes for mental illness. We need to get some rest, and take care of ourselves. It's kind of like being told to eat your fruits and veggies as a kid. Only, it's about preserving your mental health, not your physical one. Maybe the mental health aspect is even more important than the physical one. But, why is it considered to be selfish to take some time for yourself? That I still don't get.
Maybe it was because we are programmed to do things--whether it's work-related, doing something else that's productive or doing school work. By taking five minutes to just chill, we can do those things so much better than if we didn't take those crucial five minutes away from the world and our to-do list.
So, to answer the question I posed in the title, no self-care isn't selfish. It's essential, just as trying to cross something off of a 'to-do' list. In a world that's number and accomplishment based, we often forget that we're still people. We are people who have imperfections and require breaks. That's way more important than crossing things off of a 'to-do' list. And, that's something that we all, whether we are stressed out college students, going through a rough time in our lives or even those who aren't suffering from a mental illness need to remember.

Who Says Retail Therapy Can't Solve Your Problems?

One of the most unhealthy things I do is whenever I'm feeling blue, I go in my car and go shopping. "Treat yourself," I tell myself as I purchase something "shiny and new" such as a new purse, sweater or if I make a trip to Dava to buy a new ring. Add that with a little bit of Starbucks, and my deepest blues seem to sail away.
Yes, I'm living in a material world, and yes I'm a material girl.
 
A PuraVida Bracelet I Bought Recently.
This past semester has been beyond rough for me. And yes, I know shopping isn't the answer to solving your problems. But, here's my mentality. Sometimes, you just got to treat yourself. Sometimes, it's okay to splurge on a new ring, a new purse or even some books.
Why?
Because you deserve it. Every now and then, we need to treat ourselves to something because we are worth a million. Sometimes, we need to treat ourselves out to a wonderful meal by ourselves or with friends with great food. Or, sometimes, we need to have an extra special dessert. While it's important to save our money for rainy days, it's also important to things that make us happy and smile. After all, sometimes we buy a dress that looks amazing, or a piece of jewelry that can add a sparkle to an ensemble.
The take home message here is simple. Sometimes retail therapy can solve our problems and make life a little brighter. After all, part of loving yourself is treating yourself.

Why It's Important to Love Yourself.

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LOVE. Last week, was the week of celebrating love for the special people in your life. However, there's something about the importance of self love and acceptance of yourself in your own skin. I think that it's important for you to be able to say that you love yourself. It's a hard thing to accept oneself, however let me stress the importance of doing so.
Lately, I've been in this emotional and mental black hole of emotion. I haven't been feeling..well good about myself. It's also been making me realize the importance of loving yourself whenever your down.
First things first, you've got to treat yourself well. That means taking the time out of the day to read a few pages out of a book, to drink tea, or to simply catch a break. It's something that I myself have been struggling with. But get this through your thick head-it's important to take a break. So plan for a few minutes of downtime, because those few minutes can be crucial.
Actually make time for friends. I've been a horrible friend to pretty much all of my friends. Honestly, I have been so wrapped up with what's going on with my chaotic life that hanging out with my friends have become the least bit of priorities. It's nothing personal to my friends, but it's something that I have to work on. I need to focus more on being a friend, and less on my chaotic, hectic life.
Just remember one thing. Loving yourself is the key for ultimate happiness. Forgive yourself when you make mistakes. Treat yourself to a cookie or something to make you smile. Be happy, and if you feel like you're alone talk to a friend. Pet a dog. It's important to tell yourself that you're worth a million, because you are. 

#inspirationmovement-"Me, Myself, and I"

I think that the biggest relationship that we have in our lives is the one that we have with ourselves. If you don't love yourself, then you won't be able to love someone else. Sometimes self love, and being kind yourself is necessary.
The relationship that I have with myself needs some work, I do admit. I sometimes push myself to extremes, and am always down on myself. I sometimes think that I am not good enough, and have days when I'm down. I realize that these kinds of thought processes are bought on by stress, and feeling like I'm not good enough.
However, with that being said I'm trying to do better. I'm trying to become more organized, and realizing that it's okay to sometimes say "I need a break." I bought the Demi Lovato book, and decided to actually read it everyday. I even decided to take a half an hour, to an hour of time for myself to do something really cool for me. I think that by doing that helps me realize that everything is going to be okay. Whether it's watching New Girl, or reading Divergent, it's time for me. I need to do that for me.
The relationship with myself is going to take time to repair. However, over time I think that there's always room for improvement. You're in a relationship with yourself for as long as you live so therefore you must nurture it just like you always nurture relationships that you have with other people. Love yourself, love others.
End of story. 

#inspirationmovement

I think that something that is important to anyone is that they should know that their loved, and that they are important. Positive thinking is something that I think should be a huge part of this blog, and I'm proud to introduce you to my newest, and perhaps my greatest feature. Ladies and gentleman, let's join the inspiration movement.
Now, what is the inspiration movement? Good question! This movement is a positive part of my blog that focuses on thinking positive. My goal of this feature is to inspire others. To make those who are having a bad day to realize that it's not a bad life, it's just a bad day. To those who feel like they aren't loved, to make them feel loved. I've been through a lot in my life, and it's my turn to help others who struggle, and need someone.
I feel like there's not enough positive things in my life, in addition to the world in general. Let there be inner strength. Let there be inspiration. Let there be creativity. Let there be the end to negative thoughts, and let there be hope that we all can be happy.
Feel free to join the movement! My goal is to put a post with picture of an encouraging quotes that I see on Pinterest, or to talk about self love.
Here's some pictures to help cure you all of the Mondays!


These posts are from my pinterest board!