When the world restrains you from having self-care

Expectations

On those whirlwind of months where you can’t even find the time to write, journal, make art, or just express yourself, be careful.

We live in times where lack of sleep is almost seen as an achievement, and that it means that you’re getting work done, because you’re that friend who can never seem to free up their schedule. You’re the go-getter, the trend-setter, the planner, the person that can make time for everyone and every little thing... except yourself.

It’s hard to say no when you’re the type who wants to do everything and when you have so many interests. Sometimes it’s also hard to say no when people expect so much out of you. But remember to always say “yes” to yourself #treatyoself

Say “yes”

Now, of course we all know that treating yourself 24/7 often leaves us with either an empty bank account or piled up stress from actual responsibilities that we need to meet, so the real question is:

How do I find time to give myself self-care?

And the answer is simple: make time for it

But how about the practice of trying to get ourselves to do that? Now, that’s not simple at all.

Life has a way of asking so much from us with a million different strict deadlines, but the important part is to realize that life does NOT have to ask so much from us. We are human, we should simply live. There’s only so much we can do, and we should accept that. So why pile on so many expectations for ourselves?

Since we come from a variety of different lived-experiences, sometimes doing so much is all we know, because we are always on survival mode. To the people out there who are living those lives, I respect you so much. You are what strength and resilience are, and you will get through it all— don’t forget that.

But to those who aren’t on survival mode, realize that you have the privilege to live a life that permits you to breathe– one where taking a break is actually possible and you, yourself, should not look down on it. You’re no robot, not a well-oiled machine that can never seem to stop running.

You have life flowing through you:

a life meant just for you,

A life that is allowed to have slight pauses and not just “fast-forwards”

where controlling its pace is an art form.

An art form—

meant to be practiced all your life.

Controlling pace

Knowing when to start and stop is quite difficult. I’ll be honest that I’m not really sure if anyone has this figured out yet. But something I always find helpful to practice is mindfulness. Being present with yourself, how you react and process the things around you– that’s what helps you to know what you can or cannot do.

Your limits are something to be accepted. They’re nothing to be scorned over, nor are they something that always has to be pushed forward with no end– but simply accepted. For those who always seek growth without taking a pause to rest are surely going to wither sooner than expected. To put it in another way: can one truly grow as a person without taking the time to pause and reflect on one’s own well-being?

We have all faced hardships in life– those times where we are just in complete shambles and we didn’t know at the time if we could make it through. It’s a difficult reality full of expectations, times where we need to give ourselves a break, and times where it is vital to train ourselves to know when to keep going or not. In my life I hope to always seek growth, but I also hope to never forget to seek a space and time to breathe. After all, life is precious– one that should be enjoyed.

Breathe easy, darling.

Wanting all that oxygen

and thinking that you can accomplish everything,

Leaves you with nothing else to breathe

but dust when you sleep.