Say YES to Yourself - Clinical Holistic Psychotherapy by Santa

We are three weeks into the new year and likely settling into a routine. Perhaps you have managed to implement some of your New Year’s wishes, perhaps not. This is the time we usually fall into the routines we had in place. You may have started off well and added that exercise routine or changed your diet, and maybe you have managed to stick with it.

When we are asked by a loved one or friend to help with something we have not planned for, we usually say yes if we are able to help. Even knowing we did not plan to do that task, we will say yes because we care and want to support that person. Many of us find it easier to say yes to others than ourselves. If you were to think of taking the same slot of time for yourself, to do something luxurious or practice self-care, you would likely feel that you could not spare the time. I challenge you to say YES to yourself.

In choosing to say YES to yourself, you put yourself first in your life. You feel better and are able to see the future you desire, then create it. We have been taught that saying yes to ourselves and putting ourselves first is selfish, hence it is easier to do something for someone else than to do the same thing for yourself. However, when you choose YOU first, you step into who you are and are able to function at your best. When you are functioning at your best, everyone around you is the recipient of your well-being.

To change the path you are on, or build the future you envision, you need to be an active participant in your life. Instead of allowing yourself to go where you are led, choose the path and create each day for yourself. Consciously give time to the list of wishes you created for this year, even if all you can give to yourself is five minutes. Ask yourself, “If someone dear to me asked me to do this for them, would I be able to find the time?“ If the answer is yes, create that time for yourself.

We decide the value of each task and activity that fills our day. We attach a measure of significance to those things we feel we must do and also decide what we can easily let go of. Since you get to decide what holds importance for you, you can choose what to include in your life, to shift you to where you want to be. When you value what matters to you, so do the people who love you. Even if it takes a moment for them to come around, those who love and support you will see the value that your personal choices add to your well-being. Soon they will help you in making it part of your life. Say YES to at least one thing that matters to you each day, whether it is listening to a podcast, reading something, creating a vision board to look at each day, or just sitting quietly in meditation. Choose YOU this year and watch life choose you back!