
Do you feel supported in your self care practice? I didn’t. For a long time I didn’t feel supported by my family or even myself. I felt guilty taking time for myself and for spending money on self care. I would find myself coming up with the craziest rationals as to why my needs were necessary.
What are needs anyway?
I like to define needs as the impulses of life or our life force energy. They are not good or bad, there is no should or shouldn’t.
How do we get in touch with them?
By feeling our feelings. Growing up in a western culture many of us have been taught to bury our feelings and lose touch with our needs. It makes it hard to allow ourselves to truly feel and address the underlying needs stemming from our feelings. Coming from a place of suppression makes self care so much harder.
The amazing thing is that our feelings, while they may be muted, they are not gone. They are still there alive and pulsing in each one of us, waiting to inform us of our needs, our life force energy. When we start to touch base with our feelings and the needs behind them, viewing them as impulses of life, we come to realize how necessary they are and denying them is no longer an option.
How?
Next time you notice a feeling arising in you, pause and ask yourself what is this? Where do I feel it in my body? Then accept it no matter what. It may be the rising heat of anger or the fluttering sense of joy. Meet your feelings with curiosity, compassion and self empathy. Then see if you can ask yourself what you are needing in this moment, you will very likely be surprised.
All I know is that when I shifted my life experiences to embodying my feelings and needs, my family became supportive and I no longer felt guilt around myself care. I became more present and compassionate. Everyone won.
Are you interested in living a more self care focused life informed by your feelings and needs? I would love to work with you on achieving your goals! Please reach out so we can figure out what would best work for you. Yogashevi@gmail.com
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