“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”
-Buddha
Yesterday morning, as most mornings, my five-year-old daughter woke me up and asked me to make her a peanut butter “shandwich” because she is “starving”.
I did.
Then I got a message from a client with a project needing my attention.
I did that, too.
Then I worked for a while. I did the dishes. I played some video games with my wife. I did a puzzle with my daughter. We went to get ice cream. And before you know it… the day was over.
Sound familiar?
If your life is anything like mine, the days fly by wickedly fast.
And in the shuffle of caring for the people you love — your spouse, your parents, your kids, etc. — it’s easy to forget to care for yourself.
That’s why we created this graphic…
You’ve probably heard of the five love languages.
But have you ever thought about how those apply to loving yourself?
You date your spouse, you play with your kids, you give support to your parents… but what do you do for yourself?
It’s a worthwhile exercise to think about which of the above self-love languages applies to you, and then to schedule more time for those things.
Maybe you need to go for a walk alone every day. Maybe you need to set aside some time to go to the coffee shop and read. Or maybe you need to set aside time for doing yoga, journaling, and meditating.
Whatever it is, schedule it. Make a routine of it. And keep giving yourself the love and attention you need.