This is My One Rule of Thumb for Self-Care

I have a lot going on in my life at pretty much any given moment.

Obviously.

And I'm sure you do to.

Sometimes I don't have time to think about all the things I need to do in order to stay mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy because it can feel like adding another "thing" on my already too-long to-do list.

So I don't. Think about it, that is.

But what I do do is treat myself like I'd treat a good friend that I like and love and care about. Thing is, whenever I talk to my friends and they vent to me about something or ask my advice about something or whenever we just talk about love and life and whatever else is on our hearts and minds, I make it a point to show them how I love them.

If they say they've been running on E all day and haven't had time to eat, I tell them to stop what they're doing and eat a good meal. Everything else can wait.

If they're not drinking enough water, I tell them to drink up.

If they say they're so stressed that they haven't had time to sleep or think about anything else, we talk it out. Then we talk about working out or some sort of physical activity that'll help take the stress away, if only for a moment.

If someone or something is draining their mental energy, I give them my best advice on how to protect that space.

Because I like them. I love them. I care about them.

But, for a long time, when it came to myself, I didn't do the same for me. I just pushed passed things, brushed them off, or tried to grind through.

Nah.

That's no way to get through life.

But once I started treating myself like I'd treat a good friend... like I'd treat a friend that I love and like and care about...

Once I started treating myself like I actually cared about and liked myself...

Magic happened.

I work out better. I sleep better. I eat when I'm hungry. I'm learning how to protect my emotional space and stick up for myself more. I'm learning how to create boundaries. I'm learning how to be vulnerable all over again.

And I'm doing it all without having to "manage" a to-do list. Another to-do list.

It's pretty glorious.