Learning how to show up for yourself every day can truly transform your life. It’s not about pushing yourself beyond your limits, making yourself burn out, or feel completely overwhelmed.
Showing up for yourself involves making your own well-being a priority. It also means actively participating in your own life.
So it’s time to turn off auto pilot and get your hands back on the wheel!
Quick Access
Accept
We’ve all experienced burnout or just feeling overwhelmed and under-motivated.
Sometimes, you have so much on your plate that you don’t know where to start.
So you procrastinate.
Then you get angry with yourself for procrastinating, because you have so many things to do!
Yet, you can’t seem to muster the motivation to actually get started..
It’s a vicious cycle.
We all have those times when we just don’t feel like showing up. Acknowledge and accept the way that you’re feeling.
Before you can begin to make any changes, you have to first accept where you are. It can be difficult to “adult” sometimes, and life can get stressful.
Recognizing that it’s okay to not always have it all together is often the first step towards things improving.
A big part of showing up for yourself is self-compassion, not self-criticism.
Commit to Yourself
Committing to yourself is essential in learning how to show up for yourself. Having compassion for yourself fosters resilience within you and allows you to better commit to yourself.
Remember that you will always have you, no matter what.
Committing to yourself is really about taking full responsibility for your life.
One of the best ways to instill your confidence within yourself is to follow through. Do the things that you say you will do, don’t make excuses.
When you consistently do the things that you tell yourself you will do, you establish a track record of reliability that reinforces the belief you have in yourself.
Making excuses about why you didn’t, or couldn’t, follow through with what you said you would do often leads to a cycle of self-justification. It can also make you feel like you don’t have any real control over your life.
Even completing small things accumulates over time.
Honor Your Feelings
Honoring your feelings is an important part of how to show up for yourself. When you honor your feelings you are validating your emotional experiences without judgment.
You also aren’t suppressing your feelings, you’re feeling them fully, and responding to them in a constructive manner.
Bottling up your less-than-great feelings only creates pressure on them – pressure that can explode unexpectedly.
Our feelings and emotions can also serve as powerful messengers, attempting to give us guidance. When you deny your feelings, you only serve to create a disconnect within yourself.
Being able to honor your feelings in a sign of strength, not weakness. Your feelings are valid and worthy of acknowledgement.
It’s crucial to learn how to process your emotions in healthy ways, building emotional resilience within yourself.
Step Back
Typical hustle culture might consider burnout a badge of honor, but it’s not. It’s also not realistic to expect yourself to be operating at 110% all the time – you are not a robot.
You shouldn’t work yourself to the point where you are *forced* to take time off because you’ve worked yourself sick.
Rest is an often overlooked, but essential part of showing up for yourself. Sometimes it’s best to just listen to what you body is trying to tell you.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the things happening around you or that you have to do, try focusing one thing at a time.
If you are feeling stuck, try stepping away. Sometimes it takes stepping away to see the bigger picture clearly.
It’s also important to remember that perfection isn’t real – it’s unattainable. Do yourself a favor and choose progress over perfection.
Perfectionism can poison your mind into thinking that you aren’t good enough. The more you strive for the unachievable, the more self-critical you can become.
Get Quiet
We live in a world of almost constant distractions. We are often surrounded by an endless stream of information and external stimuli. You probably find yourself frequently juggling several different tasks at the same time, not fully focused on any of them.
Stopping to get quiet and just spend some time with yourself can be so beneficial. Practicing mindfulness creates space for self-awareness and self-reflection. It can be a powerful tool in how to show up for yourself.
Dedicate some intentional time and attention to yourself. It’s so easy to be connected to others through technology, but when is the last time you really connected with yourself?
Mindfulness practices include deep breathing, meditation and yoga – but those are just a few examples.
Practicing mindfulness is just about getting quiet and noticing the present moment. It doesn’t need to be anything strict, or specific.
Mindfulness can be brought into almost any situation. You can even just take time to pause and really enjoy eating your food, focusing on the smell, texture and taste.
Practice Self-Care
It’s not all about bubble baths and facial masks – those are great, but self-care is about so much more. When you practice self-care you make choices that prioritize your needs and supports your overall health.
Practicing self-care is how to show up for yourself in a physical way. Of course, self-care comes in many forms.
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to get enough sleep. Your body uses sleep as a time to recharge your body, and ultimately sets the foundation for your health.
Making time for movement is another huge way to show up for yourself. Yes, that’s the opposite of getting rest, but it’s all about balance.
Engaging in regular physical activity has long been associated with both a longer, and a higher quality life.
You don’t need to go overboard, or even go to the gym. Just fit in 150 minutes a week (that’s only a little over 20 minutes a day) of moderate physical activity.
That alone can significantly lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.
It’s also important that you eat nutritious foods to fuel your body and further support your good health.
Of course, “healthy foods” is a subjective term – but in general, it pays to prioritize consuming whole, unprocessed foods when you can.
Your diet is a very personal thing and since I’m no expert, I won’t try to tell you what to eat.
What I will say is that your gut is like a second brain. Because of that, your diet can actually impact your overall cognitive function. Some research also suggests a connection between the foods you eat and the quality of your mental health.
So just consider that the next time you’re reaching for some processed junk food.
Discovering how to show up for yourself is essential for those seeking balance and fulfillment in life. Showing up for yourself is really choosing to embark on a journey of self-empowerment and personal growth.
I hope this guide has helped you get started on showing up for yourself and transforming your life!
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