Taking care of yourself is the practice of loving yourself enough to not only listen to your own needs, but to also HONOR those needs, even if it means disappointing another. Self-honoring and showing up for yourself means not making other’s feelings/needs more important than your own. As self-love increases, tolerance for self-abandonment/self-betrayal (through putting other’s needs first) decreases. Growing up in a family where boundaries were enmeshed and your role may have been to caretake others, can cause an over focus on the outside (others) and a lack of focus on the inside, or the self. If this is the case, it may feel unsafe to put yourself first.
Affirmations for the care-taker inner child:
“you’re allowed to have needs”
“It is safe to take care of yourself and focus on yourself, without feeling guilt or shame”
“I trust others will be okay if I do what I need to do to take care of myself”
“I am not responsible for other’s happiness or comfort”
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