Worth Taking Care Of

What happens if you replace all your "I SHOULDs" with "I'm worth taking care of"? An experiment in self-compassion.

“I’m worth taking care of.”

That’s my mantra these days. Every morning before I get out of bed, I remind myself I’m worth taking care of. I repeat it to myself slowly, meaningfully, three times.

It’s effective! Much more so than telling myself I SHOULD: I SHOULD do my back exercises. I SHOULD keep the house cleaner. I SHOULD go for a walk. I SHOULD be able to do a better job of taking care of myself by now, dammit!

“I’m worth taking care of” inspires me, rather than berates me. It gently motivates me first thing in the morning to do my back exercises.

It helps me pay attention to my body’s signals when I’m deciding what to eat. 

It helps me get out the door for a walk and some fresh air.

It helps me become aware of that little crick in my neck, and realize I need to adjust the height of my monitor.

In general, it helps me be kinder to myself throughout the day.

It’s not a magic panacea. Sometimes my brain offers these not-so-useful comments:

• No, you're NOT!

• That's SELFISH.

• What makes you think you're so special?

I used to try to shut this voice up and make it go away. But sooner or later, it always came back.

After I realized it’s just a young, hurt part of me, I started treating the voice differently. These days I say oh hello there, and settle her into a nice comfy chair with a pb&j and a glass of cold milk. I remind her that yes indeed, we are worth taking care of. 

We were always worth it, even if nobody let us know.

I’ll keep reminding myself. Because “I’m worth taking care of” is compassionate, and it’s true.

I fully believe it’s true of you as well.

xo