Do this before you plan your self-care

We all have to start somewhere, and today, I want to share one vital area: Self-Awareness. Self-care planning requires much more than just writing down an activity in our planners. Many of us dismiss the self-awareness part of our self-care planning because it requires confronting who we are—the good and what we need to change. Facing the core of who we are can be intense at times because we don't know what we will find within ourselves.

My first time doing major reflection work was in graduate school for my Master of Social Work program. This work made me examine my biases, fears, strengths, and life. It was incredibly life-changing. It made me a more empathetic person, not only to others but to myself. Don't get me wrong, I didn't change overnight; I cried, and I fought myself within myself. Ultimately, a balance arrived with continued work and empathy towards myself. I won't make you go through all that, but I will ask you three important questions. If you read my post from last week, you already answered questions 1 and 2, but you may want to review it again--it never hurts to reflect once more.

Reflect

Time to take out your journal and answer:

1. What does self-care mean to you?

2. What do you want out of self-care?

3. Are you ready to make the necessary changes to live your desired life?

I've asked myself these questions because I've been there. I was getting nowhere with all I wanted to do because I had no sense of who I was, nor did I have a direction. See, to create your self-care plan, you must address what you want for yourself. You have to find what's fun, what will bring you joy, and what will realistically work. You have to let go of judgments and comparisons. Continued reflection work will give you a strong foundation and a sense of direction. All you have to do is start.

Let's connect!

I'm Janie, a Certified Self-Love and Self-Care Coach, here to support your self-care planning. Follow me on Instagram @healingselfcareplans for daily affirmations, tips, life updates, planning tools, and more.