All in Personal Healing
Our self-care and self-love are imperative, during this time of police violence when Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Sandra Bland and Ahmaud Arbery are killed with impunity.
BLACK LIVES MATTER!
When I tell people I'm running a course about healing your relationship with money, I am usually met with one of two responses. If they've already "passed" the Are You Ready to Heal quiz, they'll whisper their private struggles and dysfunctional habits. If they're still in denial, they'll list all the reasons why their bank account balances are due to circumstances outside of their control. What they don't realize is that both answers tell me more about why they are broke than their salary, family size, or geographic location do combined. What do your money habits reveal about you?Take a look.
We all mean well. We start of our healing journey (or our diet, church membership, book club, relationship) swearing that this time, we will be dedicated. We get all the necessary supplies and set our alarm clock to begin tomorrow ready. This motivation works for a few days and then bad habits set in.
Before we realize it, we are sabotaging our healing. We don't recognize these 5 signs of sabotage, and then end up off-course, frustrated, and back at square one.
My journey with money and self-care hasn't been the easiest. I grew up believing that I was supposed to put myself last and that I could only spend money on myself when there was enough left over. I thought that it was normal to stress about bills and "rob Peter to pay Paul." It wasn't until the last two years did I change my mindset about money and began seeing it as a tool instead of something to fear. I discuss several of these mindset issues and provide suggestions in my book 31 Days of Self-Care. In the meantime, check out the Periscope rebroadcast about my journey with money and how I'm learning to be a good steward over my finances. As a bonus, I have some tips that will help you too!
If you follow me on social media you know I've been posting lots of content about my personal self-care journey. As a school administrator, mom, partner, and friend, it's way too easy to put myself last. I find myself rationalizing why I'll make time for myself once everyone else's needs are taken care of. Not only is this plan unrealistic (I can't give from an empty cup), but it's destined for failure because by the time I get to my own care, I'm too tired. As evidence, I am writing this post at 1am after passing out on the sofa shortly after dinner.
I know better than treating myself poorly, so I've been reminding myself of some self-care tips that consistently work for me. And who would I be if I didn't share them with my Butterflies?
I didn't know that Little A's entry in this world would be far more impactful than those harrowing first few weeks. I know now that my lessons from motherhood are more than the technicalities of changing cloth diapers and juggling grad school with a full time job and newborn. Becoming a mother has taught me who I am as a woman, and I'm so proud that my daughter has been my greatest lesson.
What I realize now was that for many years, I needed a coach in addition to a therapist. I needed to create strategies for my personal and professional development. I needed to set measurable goals and strategize. I needed someone to hold me accountable and tell me to stop making excuses. I needed someone to hold up the mirror and help me focus. I needed action.
You can't get something new doing something old. We've heard this adage time and time again. Yet most of us are holding on to the past because we fear "losing" when we take new steps. We are afraid that taking a step is a gamble and Vegas has taught us that the gambles are always rigged against us. The house always wins. What I do know is that taking a step in spite of fear is an investment with a 100% return. Keep reading.
We accommodate pain because we think that the little bit or piece of a person or piece of a life is better than its absence. We don't consider that if we got rid of the pain and ended or avoidance of it, then the only thing left would be good! If we got rid of the dysfunction, all we have is function. That allows us power, peace, and a positive flow towards our beliefs.