“The Greatest Love of All”
As caregivers, we dispense a lot of LOVE into the world. But what about us? Aren’t we worthy of the same love we give to others? Of course, we are.
That seems so obvious, but many caregivers struggle with the concept of self-love. We’re so used to putting the needs of our loved ones first that we become totally focused on our caregiving role, and it becomes our primary identity. We forget that we need love, too.
I can tell you this from experience. When I was an active caregiver for my brother, I continually placed his mental and emotional needs above mine. As a result, while he might have felt better, I would feel worse. I ate my emotions after every single call, and I lost sight of ME.
It took me a long time to understand that feeling loved starts with ME. I’m worthy of my own love just as much as anyone else who receives the love I give to the world. And … self-love, just like self-care, isn’t selfish.
Self-love includes self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-empowerment. Self-awareness is especially important for caregivers because we feel so closely tied to the loved ones in our care that we often lose a bit of ourselves in the process. We need to be aware of ourselves as unique and separate individuals.
For me, building self-awareness starts with just looking in the mirror and noticing things. I look tired today – am I getting enough good, restful sleep? My skin is dry – am I drinking enough water? I’m feeling sluggish – have I been eating nutritious foods? My eyes are fatigued – am I spending too much time at my computer?
Self-awareness can lead to self-acceptance – accepting ourselves for who we are, with all our perfect imperfections. I know that within my core, I can appreciate and honor my strengths while also knowing my limitations and recognizing my opportunities for personal growth. During this journey, I've had to accept some hard things about myself, but I’ve also learned to give myself space to make mistakes and to grow from them.
Finally, self-empowerment means believing in yourself. You probably know that I love the concept of empowerment. It’s a big part of our mission at Courage to Caregivers. We hope to give you the tools to build self-empowerment – to see more in yourself, honoring YOUR strengths and seeing YOUR opportunities for growth.
Self-love might be the most important gift you can give yourself. But if it’s a still a struggle for you, these 39 self-care suggestions might help.
Just think of yourself as being your number-one cheerleader. You deserve it.