But First, Me – A Note on Filling Your Cup

Have you settled nicely into 2022? Good. With the seasons changing and restrictions becoming more relaxed around the pandemic, many of us are excitedly returning to work and play. Or did you just return to work, and forget all about the play?

“If you find yourself feeling resentful, stressed, mentally exhausted, and overwhelmed there is a good chance it’s time to focus on yourself”, says Cheryl Sutherland, founder of Please Notes, a website loaded with affirmation-filled goodies.

If you’re asking yourself “But how?” you’re not alone. It seems we’re really good at buckling down and getting work done, but not so good at popping a bottle and pouring abundantly into our own cup. We’re giving you five affirmations to speak into the rest of 2022 along with fun and creative ways to focus on yourself.

Today, I abandon old habits and take up new, more positive ones.

We’re not saying you need to take up knitting and crank out a cardigan, but if we all took a critical lens to daily habits we could probably find something to let go of, and something new to hold on to.

Here is a list of 5 habits you might consider giving the boot:

• Multitasking 
• Checking your phone during meals (or right before bed)
• Staying up too late/getting too little sleep
• Saying yes to every ask
• Poor eating habits (stress-eating, overeating, skipping meals)

Here are 5 positive habits that have the potential to greatly impact your day-to-day

• Let it go – most problems are not as serious as they seem
• Talk yourself up daily, i.e. positive mantras
• Give someone a compliment daily
• Simplify your wardrobe, if you haven’t worn it in a year, give it away
• Wear sunblock everyday, wash your face every night

I am worthy of investing in myself.

Let’s take a moment to think – what’s something you’ve always wanted to do? It could be something small, like taking a half-day at work to spend your afternoon indulging in a hobby. Or something bigger? Like signing up for a course to learn a skill you’ve always been interested in. 

We put these wants, wishes and desires on a list and over time, they get pushed to the bottom and then to the next page. But what’s stopping you from doing it today, or at least taking the steps to put a plan in action? Is it because you’ve allotted the time to someone else? Or you’ve set aside the funds for something else? Before you do another task or deed for someone else, pick something you’ve always wanted to do and do it. Listen, we’ve all grown tired of your excuses.

I am becoming the best version of myself as there are no obstacles I cannot overcome.

In fact, the obstacle is the way. It is by leaning into the discomfort that you will learn and grow. Can you think of an area that you can challenge yourself in? Or an opportunity that when you think of it, you tell yourself “I could never do that”? That is the path! 

Shifting the focus to yourself doesn’t have to be entirely composed of long walks, meditation, and green smoothies. It can be a great chance for you to embark on a challenge that you know will be difficult, but worth it. You might even want to quit, but you won’t. You are putting yourself first, and you will come out on top.

I am already whole and complete.

Louder for the people in the back. You are not broken. You are not needing another person to complete you or validate your existence. As you are, you are enough. And because you are enough, you are worthy of setting aside the time, energy, and money to put yourself first. 

Instead of looking for external fulfillment and temporary satisfaction, shift your focus inward. Do you think that you could quiet your mind and meditate? It’s best to go into meditation without expectations. Put aside 5 or 10 minutes. Unplug your phone, and make sure no one is going to disturb you (it’s ok to meditate in the middle of the workday, mute those slack notifications!).

Meditation is a great way to increase self-awareness and focus on the present. “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone,” wrote the French philosopher Blaise Pascal. Though written in the 1600s, it still rings true.

2022 will be a year filled with abundance, happiness, and new beginnings.

If the path you are on isn’t sitting well with you, then it is up to you to shift the sails and catch a new breeze. You must know that it is never too late to course-correct. 

Without the inner belief that what you are doing is in alignment with your purpose, a greater purpose, then any attempt to focus on yourself will be short-lived and not truly fulfilling. It will be swept up in the fanfare of the “self-care” buzzword and movement.

The focus on yourself needs to be substantial and transformative. With this shift, look for real change. Everything is born from change, even you.

Ok, take a step back. Deep breath. How are you going to focus on yourself today?