Sometimes, I wonder why I bother with blogging at all. It's not as if I spew any new thing, or anything remotely helpful to whoever happens to come across this page. (er, NSA?) Then again, I remember that I'm doing this for myself, for whatever purpose it may serve, good, or ill. I tend to begin with disclaimers, but that's how I get myself to keep writing...
In the context of self-love, taking care of yourself is a lot more difficult than being 'selfish' or spoiling yourself, as I've recently discovered (although, honestly, it's nothing new). Taking care of yourself means being good to yourself, not just in the usual context of self-acceptance, and accepting/embracing your flaws, but of being good to your body, physically. That means doing the right things, like giving up, or cutting down on junk food, eating more greens, getting more movement, and living a healthier lifestyle in general. Like I said, loving yourself isn't easy. Taking care, and I mean, genuinely taking care of yourself is hard work. I think that acknowledging that you are worth all the hard work that you are going to put in might just be the first step in overcoming that wall of negativity that we so often collide with. In a sense, it's selfish, but not the self-indulgent, and often hedonistic kind of selfishness that we often associate with the word. It's a good kind of selfish, and I think it's worth preaching. In my case, I also have to add that I should stop avoiding the dentist, since it's good for my teeth, and it's cheaper in the long run, since you don't have to suddenly blow money on painkillers and antibiotics, apart from the procedure that'll have to be done on your decayed tooth. =P
I don't know why I sound like a self-help book all of a sudden, and it might just be the Yoga videos doing this to me, but all the "listen to your body" talk seems to be sinking in. It's kind of hard for me to remain in the present, since I'm a daydreamer, and my mind's prone to wandering off when I'm uninterested, bored, or obsessed with something. I often fall back into old habits unconsciously. I'm also prone to putting things into my mouth, or snacking when I have downtime, or when I'm bored, so I end up overeating, even though I don't eat so much during mealtime. It's one of those things I have to work on, and I guess in time I'll get better at catching myself. It might be too early to say this, since I've just started on the practice, but I think Yoga has helped me build a better relationship with my body because I can appreciate what it can do, and it really does calm me down and refresh me. I still do cardio, since I enjoy sweating it out, but I've never been a fan of the hardline approach to fitness which kind of bullies/ shames you into exercising, or makes you feel guilty for 'not doing it hard enough' to get results. I suppose that works for other people, but it's something that has always failed to motivate me. I may want to lose weight, but the truth is that my world won't end if I don't, and what's important for me is that I know I'm healthy and that I feel great. I just like to enjoy it for what it is and how it makes me feel, and it's never been a lifelong dream to fit into a bikini. I like to eat, too, and I won't delve into obsessive calorie-counting or deprive myself of something that I like. I'll just have to make sure I don't fall into excesses. Truthfully, I used to hate the way I look, but somehow, it's changed and as new-agey as this may sound I honestly feel more connected to my body now.
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