Week 3: Take Care of yourself

#WinterABC2022 #Week3 #StoriesofAwareness

Every June, the Afrobloggers community organizes the WinterABC storytelling festival and below is my entry for Week three under the theme – Stories of Awareness

Take Care of yourself

We have been brought up in environments that largely encourage us to take care of others and in the long run, we forget to take care of ourselves. I believe that you can effectively take care of others if you have mastered how to take care of yourself. As the saying goes, charity begins at home.
Could it be that there is mediocre work out there because we have failed to take care of ourselves first?
Anyways today I come with some good news; You need to take care of yourself because it is a happy and healthy you that will fully live out all those dreams you have or serve all the nations you desire to.

Below are some ways through which you can take care of yourself;

• Love yourself

I believe you can only love others as much as you have loved yourself. There is no cheating here. You need to believe and receive the truth that you are loved. You need to believe what God says about you and love all He has blessed you with be it family, body, or children … Loving you has a great impact on how you love others. See all the nice affirmations you tell others, learn to tell them to yourself too and you shall be amazed at the beautiful aura you shall radiate. Learn to reward yourself when you register a win, feed your body well, it is all you have to live in, and above all be gracious with yourself. Learn to forgive yourself when you make wrongs and see how the freed you will gladly rise to greater heights. All these are ways through which you can love yourself, Be there for you and the world will align.

• Work

Work is the act of us becoming who God intended us to be. Work is a form of self-care because it fans your gifts into flame. There is a satisfaction that comes when you are onto your becoming journey that is; doing the things you are equipped for or love to do. Working brings a certain joy and peace especially if it helps bring other people’s dreams to life beyond just the money you earn. There is also compensation for some of the work you do and this helps you to meet your basic needs and lead a better life. Work also comes with networking that will open you up to better skills, learning moments, and opportunities and all of these contribute to your wellbeing. Find work, it might be a job or a business or volunteering opportunity. Do it and you shall be amazed at how fulfilled and happier you shall be.

• Hygiene

These are conditions or practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease, especially through cleanliness. Hygiene goes both ways that is; personal and your surroundings. Cleanliness is another form of taking care of yourself, for example, lay that bed with ironed bed sheets, wash your clothes regularly, clean your nails, wash your utensils, mop your floors and walls, groom your body, and scrub your bathrooms and many others. These practices will protect your body from many illnesses thereby promoting your health. Clean spaces are also well known for being therapeutic. Try visiting some rehabilitation centers and see how clean they are… It’s easy for me to go back to a hotel or restaurant only if they are clean. I like to believe Cleanliness is next to godliness, so ensure you maintain your hygiene, if you cannot do this on your own, seek help. There are many cleaning companies out there. Do all you can to be clean in all areas, it is great medicine for first your health and the community at large.

Me on one of those days when I attended a work meeting.

• Rest

Yes, you need to rest, your body, mind-heart, and soul need to rest. Your spirit too needs to rest in the finished work of God.
Rest means to cease work or movement to relax, sleep, or recover strength.
You intentionally need to schedule rest rhythms in your life and let the concerned parties be aware. For example, you need to let your employer know when you need time off, if you are your boss, you need to schedule resting days and let your clients know. Even as a student or full-time parent, you can still find time to rest.
Rest helps us rejuvenate and also releases good hormones into our bodies. I view rest as pausing life to evaluate and restructure and think. Rest is a very healthy activity you need to practice. Do a soul search and find the unique things that help you relax and go ahead and do them. I love traveling, listening to music, reading, sleeping, sitting along the beach, or holding conversations with my besties during my resting times. I take off a day in a week and 3days in a month to just rest. Rest is key, it keeps you alive and healthy. Do it for you while you still can voluntarily. You shall thank me later

• Pursuing a relationship with God.

Reading your Bible and praying every day is something I believe one can do for self-care. Everything begins and ends with our creator and I believe He is the author and perfector of everything. He is the best lover, teacher, mechanic, parent, leader …
Pursuing a relationship with our creator will guarantee us peace and all the beautiful things like favor and gracefulness.
There is a rare joy and calmness that comes walking a journey with your creator. Try it out today and you shall see how your life shall get better… God loves you and He desires that you live in good shape…

I shall conclude with these quotes;

“If you don’t love yourself, nobody will. Not only that, you won’t be good at loving anyone else. Loving starts with the self.”—Wayne Dyer

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”— Maya Angelou

“Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.”— Bell Hooks

Take care of yourself!

Me on a #retreat at Musana Camps in Uganda.

Watch out for my next entry for week 4 in the #WinterABC2022 under the theme : Stories of the World. My entry for Week 1: Stories of home can be read here, Week 2: Stories of Africa can be read here

I LOVE YOU

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I am the Lioness Arising
©Gamba With J

I can also be found on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook❤️❤️❤️

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