do you need permission?

I was talking with a client the other morning and she told me that she needed to take the day off because she was feeling a little depressed. This surprised me because things have been been going very well for her personally, professionally and physically.

After some conversation, we discovered that what was really going on was that she was tired. Although positive, life had been really busy and she needed a day of self-care and relaxation. So why did she think that she was depressed?

A trick of the subconscious.

Her subconscious didn’t believe she’s deserving of taking a day to herself (sound familiar?). Her mind started making up stories about being depressed, about things not going well, about overwhelm. All to justify the need to rest.

Are you following this?

So many women fall into this trap. We feel guilty for taking time for self-care. We don’t feel that we deserve to take time for ourselves because at some point in early childhood, our  subconscious was programmed to believe that we must serve everyone else first and not stop if we can possibly keep going.

Only illness (mental or physical) is an excuse to slow down and take care of yourself.

Everyone needs rest. Everyone deserves self-care. You don’t need permission from anyone (including your own subconscious!) to take time for yourself.  

So take the day off. But instead of being sick or depressed to justify it, take the day with a happy heart. Thank yourself for making YOU a priority. Spend time doing whatever you feel you need - don’t get caught in the trap of worrying about have-to’s and should’s. Listen to your intuition and do what FEELS right for you.

Remember that you can’t serve from an empty vessel. Take good care of you.

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