Honouring yourself: A true gift of self-giving
August is set as a month to honor and celebrate women in South Africa: the roles they play in our lives and to the betterment of the lives of others. Mother, friend, sister, mentor or work colleague…what will you be doing to celebrate yourself?
Women have a natural tendency to put their own needs last; their roles as wife, mother, daughter, friend or professional come first, leaving their personal needs neglected.
To honor oneself is an important step toward caring, nurturing and achieving self-love.To honor oneself acknowledges ones own talents and purpose; stimulates confidence and self-worth; integrity. It establishes boundaries and helps one ‘take one’s power back.’ It changes personal interactions and relationships with others. Most importantly it changes our relationship with ourselves!
What does it mean to honour yourself and your existence? As we have all had different experiences, circumstances and beliefs, How one chooses to honor self is an individual journey to find that which resonates with you:
Set boundaries with family and / or friends and learn to say ‘No.’
Do you sometimes over commit yourself to events, make promises and do favours for others to the detriment of yourself?
Stand up for yourself appropriately, do not allow others to ‘bully’ you
- Possibly end a relationship that does not contribute to your highest good
- Let go of something that no longer serves you
Acknowledge, Know and Value your ideas and opinions.
Practice self-love
Nurture your talents and hobbies, do what you love even if that is knitting for an hour over a weekend.
Have ‘Me Time.’
Go on … have that time out you deserve! Go for that massage, spoil yourself, take a yoga class or commit to the exercise workout you have been wanting to do
Honour your body by making good choices for it every day.
Eat healthily and exercise regularly
Nurture your spiritual growth, practice what works for you or seek guidance if needed
To honor yourself might simply be an awareness and acknowledgement of your good qualities. Whatever it takes, make August the beginning of a lifelong commitment to honor your worth.
Steps to establishing self-honour
1. Believe you are worthy of honour
What does your belief system say about you being an honourable individual? This is the first place to start if your belief system is controlling you to believe something different.
2. Establish that by honouring yourself it does not mean you are being selfish.
Often mothers, for example, are better moms if they look after themselves
3. Identify your characteristics or traits that are worth honouring
How can you honour yourself? Is it simply the awareness that you are an honourable person with honourable traits? Is it an act or time that you need to set aside for yourself? Is it perhaps about setting boundaries or establishing rules to work for you and make life easier
4. Lastly, it is very important to realise (and be ‘ok’ with) the fact that you cannot make other people honour you. If a person does not honor themselves, they may dishonor you too.
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