By: Ayanna Spina - @ayanaspina
Edited By: Brittany Michele - @bee_michle
When it comes to matters of the heart we tend to take a little more care. Take a few more precautions. Have 1 or 2 more drinks to mask the pain. Go back to him a couple more times for the rush. When our hearts are hurting or even when they’re completely full of love and passion, we feel it wholly. It sometimes consumes us. But maybe our hearts aren’t as delicate as we like to think. As humans, we are built to endure. The challenge is doing enough to cater to that strength and doing less of what hinders it. Our hearts are delicate and require care taking but so do our minds and our bodies. Paying more attention to one than the other is only a disservice to them all. A healthy body makes for a clear mind and clear mind makes for an open heart. They will speak to you when in need, you just have to listen. Silence the chatter of day to day life and actually listen. Intuitively. Empathetically. Soulfully. Take stock of all the things you’d do for the people you love. Now, ask yourself if you’d go the same lengths for yourself. If you’re anything like me or the next woman just trying to make it right now, you know that self-care is not always the easiest journey to embark on. However, it’s incredibly rewarding to start somewhere.
Hold Yourself Accountable.
Are the people around you benefiting you or inhibiting you? Are you slacking off at work? Could you be waking up earlier to give yourself some extra hours in the day? You weren’t put on this Earth to be perfect but you should always strive to be the best version of you. You know what you have to do, so do it.
Forgive Yourself.
You’ve come a long way and while it wasn’t always easy and it wasn’t always fun, you’re here reading this now and that’s what matters. We always talk about forgiveness in terms of people who’ve wronged us but do you forgive yourself for that time you went back to your ex instead of deleting his/her number? Or that time to stayed out way too late when you should’ve been studying for the exam you had the next day? Open your heart. To love yourself is to forgive yourself for the times you fell short. It happens to the best of us.
Burn Sage.
Or open the window. Or mop the floor. Whatever you have to do to clean your space and, in turn, your thoughts. Make room for positive energy to flow freely and genuinely embrace it. How do you feel? How have your thoughts changed?
Eat well.
Do not discredit your body’s ability to use what you feed it and make something out of it. Be conscious of that process and give what you’d like to receive. When you feed your body junk, expect to feel like it. Expect your thoughts to be cluttered with it. Nourish your body, it works hard for you everyday and deserves to be treated as such.
It is so tempting to live up to the expectations of others, whether it be for likes on social media or to fit in with a certain crowd. However, we cannot be any good to the world if we are not first good to ourselves. Today, instead of looking to others and reflecting on how they make you feel, sit alone and listen. You know what is best for you and it is time to start trusting yourself. What you give to yourself and how you treat yourself will attract the right people accordingly. Be your first “like” of the day, everyday. Fill yourself up with love, and thank yourself for it later