When we think of self-care, we sometimes associate it with luxury, extraneous pleasure or selfishness. We’ve been conditioned to think that taking care of ourselves is less important than caring for others or taking care of our responsibilities. We become our own last priority. Self-care, however, is hugely important to our feelings of wholeness and well-being. When we aren’t caring for ourselves, we’re neglecting ourselves in critical ways. In a sense, we’ve abandoned ourselves. We set ourselves up for disappointment, even failure, in our recovery when we don’t prioritize our own inner wellness. Learning to care for ourselves is part of our self-love journey and helps empower us in our recovery.
Self-care teaches us that we are in fact important. We are deserving of love, care, attention and support. We learn that it’s normal for us to have needs, and it’s crucial that we work to meet them. We learn that it’s healthy, not selfish, to have boundaries with other people, and it’s a sign of self-respect when we make sure our boundaries are adhered to and respected by the other people in our lives. We are taught that voicing our needs and erecting boundaries are signs of arrogance or an overly aggrandized sense of self-importance. The opposite is true, however. They are signs of self-love and self-respect. When we respect ourselves enough to make sure our needs are met and our boundaries respected, we shed years of self-disparaging thinking and behavior. We learn to appreciate ourselves. We learn that loving and respecting ourselves are positive indications of our healing and transformation.
When we care for ourselves, we’re telling ourselves that we believe in ourselves. We regain our faith in ourselves. We start to believe that we can in fact recover, when for years many of us have believed we are doomed to fail. When we don’t believe in our ability to get better, we’re subconsciously sabotaging ourselves. We’re hindering our progress and derailing our chances for healing. Self-care starts to send our subconscious mind a new message – that we’re actually on our own side rather than fighting against ourselves, that the unconscious and conscious parts of our minds are working together in harmony, that we’ve given up the internal battle many of us have been fighting within ourselves that has been holding us back and bringing us down. Our subconscious minds get reprogrammed to make us want to love, protect and care for ourselves. Self-care is a source of empowerment that bolsters our chances for success when we prioritize it in our recovery.
The treatment programs at Riverside Recovery, including our specialty programs and trauma support programs, are designed to help you reclaim your life and achieve wellness. Call us today for more information: (800) 871-5440.