Improving Your Self Esteem
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
IMPROVE YOUR SELF ESTEEM WITH SOME TLC
One way I have found that helps me have a better self esteem is by doing nice things for me and making sure I take care of myself. It is very important that we do that. If we don’t, how can we expect to feel good about ourselves?
So often, I will let things go like getting my hair cut and colored when it needs it. I will let it go for two or three monthsthinking I don’t want to take the time and be away from the house in case my brother wants to get out and go somewhere.
For those that haven’t read any of my other blogs, my brother, my father and myself live together and my brother and I take care of our dad.
When we spend so much time taking care of others needs, it wears us down and we neglect ourselves. Taking care of yourself has nothing to do with being selfish. I used to think that, and I couldn’t have been more wrong.
When my dad first became ill 2 years ago, I invited him to come live with me because I did not want him to go into a home. There were lots of trips to the doctor and the hospital but I didn’t mind. The beginning of this year, things changed majorly. He could no longer take physical care of himself. I helped for several months until I just couldn’t do it anymore.
Give Yourself Some TLC
It took me a while to talk my brother into hiring someone to at least come in three to 4 hours in the morning to at least bathe him and do his exercises with him.
That was one of the best decisions I made for myself and it made me feel good about myself because he was still able to be in the comfort of his own home. During those hours that someone is here taking care of him, I am able to go do the things I need to do to take care of myself. After the care giver leaves, my brother and I are at home with him. If one of us needs to do something or go somewhere, the other one is still here making sure his needs are met. That instantly improved my self esteem because I have time for me.
We need to be kind and gentle with ourselves because if we don’t, who else is going to do it? There is a light within us that needs to be nurtured because it it’s not, it will dim and eventually die.
Some ways I take care of myself are by:
- taking a jacuzzi bath by candle light
- listen to some soothing music
- treat myself to a nice lunch or dinner
- go to a movie
- take a nap
These are just a few and I am adding more to the list as I am typing this. I am learning to set bounderies because there are times when family or friends, even unknowingly, can sometimes take advantage of you if you allow it.
Today my brother asked me if I would mind if he took of and went out of town to his girlfriends from Tuesday to Sunday. My daughter may also be calling me this week to help her move, so I said it’s fine it he goes but I told him what hours I would need the caregiver here and as long as she is able to do the hours, I’m fine with it. In the past I would have said it’s fine for him to go and cancelled everything I possibly had going. Not this time, and I feel awesome that I was able to put my needs on the table.
Put caring for yourself as your highest priority. Decide if you are worth the fight, or not. I believed I was worth it and I believe you are too.
God Bless,
P.S. – Another way I take care of myself is by writing a blog. I write about things that are dear to me or sometimes things that I am going thru in the hopes that I can help others. I make my living at home by writing my blog and you can too. Helping others is important to me.
P.S.S. – If you are interested in making a living from home and helping others do the same, check out the video on the top of this page or on the right side. It’s a simple sytem. All you have to do is blog daily and the technical stuff is taken care of by the guru’s. It doesn’t get much better than that.