A number of years, ago I began compiling content regarding healthy boundaries. As I looked developed the content I found it enlightening and helpful for my personal self-care. As I studied more, I was intrigued by the connection between healthy boundaries and self-care. We tend to protect things or people we place a high value in. Prior to our recovery, we did not view ourselves in an esteemed fashion. Matter-of- fact we had a rather low view of ourselves and therefore self-care was not part of our daily practice let alone a priority. Making self-care a priority elevates my view of me. This elevated view of me would likely lead me to be more protective of me. One of the best ways to protect me is to create a healthy boundary. The healthy boundary keeps me from migrating to negative things and people while keeping the like from me.
Making self-care a priority involves
- Giving yourself permission to put yourself first. When we do this, our need and motivation to set boundaries become stronger.
- Self-care also means recognizing the importance of your feelings and honoring them. These feelings serve as important cues about our wellbeing and about what makes us happy and unhappy.
Putting yourself first also gives us
- Energy
- Peace of mind
- A positive outlook to be more present with others and be there for them
When we’re in a better place, we can be a better wife, mother, husband, co-worker, or friend, and person at large. Depending upon what your personal access is will determine what you can do in pursuing self-care. There are many things we can do that would involve having financial resources, but that could lead to excluding those that don’t have those resources and could limit those who do. Let’s explore self-care practices that only require my decision to engage in them. One of the most important things we can do is to get outside and enjoy nature. We could not only enjoy nature, but we can see ourselves as a part of nature. We could even extend our caring for nature to caring for ourselves. Another thing we can do is to begin associating with individuals who are at where we want to be. This way we will be moving forward with others instead of being stagnant or moving backward. We would also serve ourselves well by seeing ourselves as no better and certainly no worse than anyone else. For the most part, we are a product of our choices. If you were already doing these things, then do them to a greater degree. If you have yet to begin incorporating these suggestions into your daily routine, then I suggest you begin now. The sooner we begin practicing self-care the more quickly our personal value will increase. This will lead to making better life choices. Better life choices usually can equal a better life.
Robert Pardon
Robert is the Recovery Guy. Getting clean and sober on April 25, 1986 has given me the insight and practical skill set to not only stay sober, but to also re-invent myself to the person I always wanted to become. Showing others how to do this is my life goal.
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