There are two sides to feeling overwhelmed. I’m here to focus on the positive part of it. Like when you're showered with so much love that your heart is so full and you cannot be thankful enough for the support system that you have built. This support system helps me believe that I am worth fighting for, and reminds me that I need to do things to focus on being the best version of myself. 

A question I constantly have is, how can I be the best version of myself? Is there even such a thing as being the 'best version’ of yourself? Because I don’t think that’s possible. In life, we grow and learn new things every day. But we need to also remind ourselves that we’re growing and learning new things about ourselves on a daily basis, too. 

You definitely need to be comfortable with yourself in order to watch yourself blossom and grow into being your best version. So my next question is - how do we become comfortable with ourselves? In my opinion and through experience, I can vouch that the only way we can do that is by spending time with ourselves. Truly spending time with ourselves. Being 100% present, and alone. Facing our thoughts, regardless of how they make us feel. Driving back home, alone, jamming to music does not count because let’s be real, you're only blasting the music so that your thoughts don't take over your mind. 

I’ve done a few things that have helped me focus on myself and that have worked for me such as reading books, writing, choosing wisely who I spend time with, taking a break from certain things, and learning how to say no. 

My little input is that you can only be comfortable with yourself if you truly take care of yourself, aka, self-care. And that doesn't mean eating 3 proper meals a day, because that is meant to be the basic fundamental care that you should take. I have learned that self-care for me is going above and beyond the regular things you would do, but that would still make you feel happy. It might take a day, week, or, who knows - even months, to start seeing the outcome of practicing self-care. Reminder though! - it’s not meant to be instantaneous, but over time, you start feeling comfortable with yourself. Self-care will take time, so don’t rush it or feel upset when you don’t see a difference. Just keep doing what makes you happy, and someday you will look back and realize how far you've come. Don't focus on the journey, focus on the destination. 

Forbes says - Self-care is knowing your worth. “Self-care is important to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself as it produces positive feelings and boosts your confidence and self-esteem. Also, self-care is necessary to remind yourself and others that you and your needs are important too.”

Read that again.

Remind YOURSELF AND OTHERS that you and your needs are important too. Forbes ain't gon' lie to us about that, fam.

So what are the methods for self-care? Trust me when I say, I Googled and went to so many different pages and blogs and sites, and as fun as everything looked, I instantly thought 'this isn't for me’. I just couldn’t see myself doing any of those things. After questioning if self-care was for me, I reminded myself 'know your worth Sara, self-care is for you, let's figure out what it is that will work for you'. Is it normal for me to talk to myself like this? All the time? Don't judge. This is a judge-free zone.

So, to all of you reading this, self-care is for you, too. It took me over a year to get to a point where I realized I needed self-care, but that’s because I’d been searching in all the wrong places. So this is me telling you, you deserve self-care. I’ve done a few things that have helped me focus on myself and that have worked for me such as reading books, writing, choosing wisely who I spend time with, taking a break from certain things, and learning how to say no. 

Remember, we live in a fast-paced world. We tend to get so involved with work and family and friends and drama that we forget to take a moment to breathe and focus on ourselves. I’ve personally started taking a break from things, telling myself to slow down, take a deep breath, take it all in, and exhale. I think you should too. :)

I hope something in here helps you. If not, I hope you're somewhat proud of yourself for taking a step forward towards reading about self-care.

Remember to take care of yourselves, and practice self-care.

Love, 

S x