In the past 9 years, I have found comfort and community and some very wise women through the Instagram social media platform. Some of the women I follow are known as thought leaders. They have developed ideas and theories that I can stand behind. I continue to receive the newsletters of some of these women in my inbox because, even if I’m not in a place to be able to take their courses or buy their books, I absolutely benefit from the wisdom they give away freely.
In a recent newsletter, Mara Glatzel, one such woman, talks about how she can navigate life’s chaos better if she maintains “A deep commitment to sustainability of myself. Not some “ideal” version of that self…but the messy, raw, ambitious, vulnerable, joy-filled, sleep-deprived self that is my reality.” She says, to practice a “radical acceptance of how my own energy waxes and wanes” is an acceptance of her humanity.
I think we need this more than ever these days. An acceptance of our humanity.
The panic and wiggyness that I feel stems from self-mistrust. Do I have my own back? No. But if I did, what would that feel and look like? This would include a “finely tuned understanding of my own needs — even if I can’t meet every one of them in this moment”, Mara continues.
Imagine knowing yourself as you do your own child or pet. How you know their tells for tired or dehydrated. How you would swoop in and do what needed to be done to take care of them in their time of need. Then imagine doing all of this for yourself. Why would it be any different? Why is self-care the last thing on our lists?
I feel much of what ails me could be avoided if I held healthier boundaries for my self-care. If I prioritized it more often. If I understand how to refuel my happiness tank then that balance of work and refuel becomes the definition of sustainability.
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