We’re often told to deny ourselves the things that make us feel good. But that’s a load of B.S., in my opinion.
You are a perfect creation, and there’s wisdom hard-wired into your body that is shared with you in the form of feelings. When you’re tapped into your feelings, physically and emotionally, you have access to an incredible amount of information about what you need.
When you do the things that feel good, you’re leveraging that information in a positive way. When you force yourself to grind through something that is making you feel bad, you’re overlooking information that could have a huge impact on your well-being.
Sometimes, we convince ourselves that doing what feels good makes us indulgent, lazy, selfish, vain, superficial, negligent, not a team player, and a host of other negative stereotypes we may have picked up about women who do things that feel good to them. As though somehow, we detract from other people’s ability to feel good when we allow ourselves to do the things that feel good to us.
But the truth is that when you give yourself permission to do more of the things that feel good to you, you are going to be a better version of you. That’s better for everyone around you. You can be more productive, and are more able to handle the tough things that come your way, when you take steps to fortify your well-being. When you don’t, that affects the people around you as well.
Which version of you do you want to be? Not the tired, stressed out, low energy, shadow of yourself; rather, you can be the energized, tapped in, blissful, full amplitude version of you! That woman is the woman that you want to be, and that you already are, when you eliminate the things that bring you down and make more room for what feels good to you.
If you’ve made a habit of overlooking your own needs for many years, like a lot of women tend to do, then it may take some time, and trial and error, to get tapped back into what feels good to you. Just give yourself space to play around with your time, and try new things. If you try something and it doesn’t feel good, then try something else the next time. When you land on something that does feel good, make a swap in your life so that you have more time to do feel good things every day.
Bubble baths instead of hurried showers, leisurely walks instead of punishing cardio, yoga instead of wallowing on the couch. Delicious, vibrant, nourishing foods that you crave instead of gross stuff that comes out of packages, or the freezer. A full night’s sleep instead of running on empty all of the time. Quiet time instead of being immersed in the constant noise of everyone else’s life, and needs, and schedule demands. A moment to sip your morning coffee in peace instead of bolting right out of bed, and into the craziness of your day.
Doing what feels good to you in lots of tiny ways all adds up to you making an investment in yourself, and as a result you are more valuable to everyone around you. Including you. Don’t sell yourself short―do what feels good to you today!
Check out the #healthyatanysize community to find support and connect with other women who are working on this, too!