“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection” (Buddha). Loving ourselves well, energizes us to love those around us well. In this blog, I want to take a look at how we can invest in ourselves in order to ensure we are learning and growing in every life season.

Many years ago, I read a statistic that said if you look at a person’s daily schedule, they spend the most time each day caring for themselves. Specifically, this statistic was talking about personal grooming—bathing, teeth brushing, applying cosmetics, etc. While we all spend a decent amount of time getting ready each morning, I wonder how much of each day we spend caring for our minds and emotions.

We spend so much time focusing on making sure we look good on the outside—our hair, our clothes, etc, but do we give the same time and energy to making sure we are healthy on the inside? It is important to care for our outward appearance and doing so can give us a boost in self-esteem which is helpful. However, we must ensure that we do not neglect our mental and spiritual health.

For now, I would like you to take inventory. How much time do you spend each day focusing on your mental, physical and spiritual health. Here are some self-reflection questions to ask yourself:

1. Am I eating healthy and exercising to take care of my body?

2. Do I spend time practicing spiritual activities that bring me peace such as praying, meditating or attending religious services?

3. When is the last time I attended counseling? Do I need to go now to address current or past stressors/trauma?

4. How often do I spend time with friends and loved ones? Am I making sure to carve out time with others so that I am relationally healthy?

5. What is something new I would like to learn (cooking, pottery making, cake decorating)?

6. Do I read books or listen to podcasts that teach or challenge me?

7. What do I do for fun?

No matter what life season you are in or what area of your life you need or want to focus on making healthy, we can help. Please contact Life Enhancement Counseling Services today at 407-443-8862 to schedule an appointment with one of our empathetic and experienced mental health clinicians.