I Need a Me in my Life - says Me.

Have you ever said to yourself or maybe someone else,

I need a Me in my life?

I have said this to myself a few times before, but thought I’d share with the social media world why I felt or feel this way, and you may find this relatable yourself!

I mean honestly, it’s nothing too deep as to why I feel this way, I mean I think i’m pretty DOPE as a person and if I call you friend, I think I’m a DOPE friend too, yeah I said it! Sometimes you have to give your own self “roses” so to speak, not to brag, be self centered, or conceited, but because I realize how far I’ve come in my journey in life and how much i’ve changed and I don’t have to wait to be affirmed by someone else, I affirm my damn self.

There are many reasons why I would love a “friend or person like me in my life” but I’m only going to focus on a few of those reasons for the sake of not making this a long blog..haha just playing. On a serious note, I admire some of my qualities and characteristics that I’ve wished I could see in others, if i’m being honest. I think it’s okay to have some time for self reflection and appreciate things about yourself versus focusing so much attention on what you need to improve or change. In the past several years i’ve come to appreciate my authenticity and being a genuine soul (good, bad, indifferent) and because of my own personal experiences, growth, and perspective, I found it hard to cultivate relationships that were anything other than…but realized that it was also unfair to others; and actually irrational if you think about it. I also appreciate how I am able to encourage others when they need it and even myself when I need to, listen…I wouldn’t have started half the projects I’ve done if I didn’t encourage myself! I also appreciate my “active listening” skills lol, it’s definitely the therapist in me, and it causes me to tap into my intuitiveness, which I feel is truly a blessing to be able to speak into the life of another person and feel connected enough to do so. Ok, I know I said a few things, but one more quality I appreciate about myself is my ability to show and exercise Empathy, this right here is a blessing and curse lol I am able to understand a person’s story, their experiences and even their behaviors…but also feel EVERYTHING sometimes *face palm* hence why self care is sooo important for me; i’m not new to this, i’m true to this——>”SELF CARE ISN’T SELFISH”

All of those qualities I mentioned above, to me are, are ideally what I would love to see in any relationship I cultivate and aspire to build, in a perfect world I would want a friend like ME ;-) but until then i’ll TRY to continue to show up as the best version of myself for myself and others.

SELFcare+GOD

First, let me say that Selfcare is not devoid from God, and encompasses mind, body and spirit and for those that believe that it has to be or that it is, this blog is for you as well. I love GOD and I love SELFcare, periodt'! I am grateful I don't have to choose between the two and still keep both. 

I want to focus on two scriptures from the bible that leads me to believe that GOD is okay with us taking care of ourselves :-)

1. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:9-11)

~REST! REST! REST! After all, your body will let you know, when you've been deprived of rest anyway, but c'mon Jesus understood the importance of rest and replenishing ourselves. 

2. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church– for we are members of his body. (Ephesians 5:29-30)

~We as people, may do the bare minimum to care for ourselves, but it is through intentionality that we do it; feeding ourselves and clothing ourselves. Jesus Christ never hated his Church; he cherishes and nourishes "her."

Rest is so important, and just one of the many things we can and need to do, no matter what line of work you are in or what you do; we shouldn't over exert ourselves, because we will be no good not just to ourselves but to others! This body we have is our "temple" and we need to take care of it. I'm sure you've read or seen numerous times ways you can practice self care on your own terms, but like i've mentioned before via my IG handle, what you do for self care is personal, and what may work for someone may not work for you in the "space" that you're in. So, I hope you consider this GOOD news, knowing that GOD also valued and understood just how important it is to consider yourself a priority as well; it isn't selfish.

OAN: Also, self care doesn't have to cost you money; these can be behavioral changes, mental fitness; unlearning old, unhealthy habits, reframe negative self talk, and/or positive affirmations, etc. While there's nothing wrong with setting aside funds to incorporate certain activities into your week if needed; if it replenishes your soul and makes you feel whole and happier. Remember going broke in the name of self care is counter productive; I'm not just talking about financially, but emotionally and mentally as well (yeah I said it.)

Why SELFcare Tees???

First, let me say that if you have purchased a SELFcare Tee already, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I have been asked a handful of times, how did I come up with this T shirt design? What made me want to start selling T shirts? What was the inspiration behind the message?

Hopefully, this blog can answer those questions for you wondering, but also encourage me to further my pursuit of reaching as many people as possible. So like I've stated before, selfcare for me wasn't something that was trendy or the hip, cool thing to do. It was embedded in my current lifestyle for a very good reason. As many of you know, I am a Mental Heath Counselor and I have experienced burn out on a small scale, but it's still all the same and negatively affected me to which I had to change my routine around some to make sure I was still able to stay in this line of work. In a previous blog, I explain what SELFcare is, check it out!

I remember sitting on my couch at my house, pregnant and all thinking of something to post on my business IG page and it just hit me and stuck with me "I'm not selfish, it's called selfcare" I think there has been a misconception that if you make yourself  a priority, that you are being selfish, and I don't subscribe to that, especially not in this season of my life. As a mom, Mental Health Counselor, Wife, Volunteer, Entrepreneur it's important I don't over exert myself in all of those roles that I play. My husband thought it would be a good idea to make that quote a T shirt design and sell it. At first I was a little hesitant, because I didn't know if people would buy into it or even buy the T shirt! Boy was I wrong, lol but trust me that's a GREAAAAT thing! I wanted to give back to the community in some way and not just sell the shirts to make a profit. I decided that I wanted to donate 10% of the proceeds from shirt sales to an individual that may have a hard time paying for therapy, their medication, or some other related mental health treatment. I am pretty big on "donation" as I also run a private practice that offers donation based counseling, so it made sense to me to continue on with that in mind. 

I quickly realized that the message of the T shirts resonates with so many people all over the country and even other countries! I love that it inspires others to be more intentional about caring for themselves; being kind to his/her self. My whole intention was to sell a T shirt that others will actually want to wear; thats meaningful all while giving back. Its funny how the path of your life can change just by making one decision, I do not believe this was by chance, this was all a part of God's Plan :-) In the same way I did not see myself owning my own private practice, I didn't see SelfcareBelle being a brand and selling T shirts that resonates with so many people all over the world. Thank you for your support, it means the world to me.

I'm not done yet, I'm just getting started! New design in the making??!

Be encouraged and Spread Love.

@selfcarebelle

check out this cheesy smile lol