Gifts of Wellness

My husband, who is a massage therapist, often has clients who see him because they have been given gift certificates by someone, often for a birthday, or Christmas, or some other special occasion. What a wonderful gift to receive.

But this leads me to this question– what holds us back from giving ourselves this type of gift?  Why do we wait for someone else to recognize that we’re worth spending the time, effort – and yes, money – on ourselves in ways that support our physical, mental and spiritual well-being?

Fear and Suspicion?

Sometimes we are just afraid or suspicious of the unknown.  For example, life coaching is still a relatively new practice.  Many people have no idea what is involved: is it therapy, is it consulting, is it mentoring?  (Check out my page, “What is Life Coaching?”, for some answers!).  Another good example is massage therapy.  How many people still think of a massage therapist as someone who works in a “massage parlor”, not in a therapeutic practice?  And there are still many people who are suspicious of what really happens in a massage therapy session.

Selfishness?

We also live in a society where there is often still a stigma attached to doing things for ourselves, unless they are absolutely necessary.  We have been brought up to believe that everyone else should come first, and we should consider our own needs last – otherwise, we are being……..wait for it……..selfish.

Someone recently told me that they felt very good about themselves when they managed their time well. They went on to describe all the different tasks or jobs that they could accomplish during the day through effective time management. What was glaringly missing in their schedule was any time for themselves. In this person’s mind, scheduling personal time was not even on their radar. Why was this?  Because they felt they would be selfish to consider that their needs were worthwhile of a time slot in their schedule.

These are just some of the roadblocks that challenge us to choose to make ourselves a priority in our own lives.

The Universal Connection

If you recognize that we are all connected in this vast Universe, and that the wellness of each of us - in all areas of our lives – directly affects the wellness of us all (or the Whole), then it is not difficult to realize the importance of honoring ourselves with self-care and self-love.  And when we are happy and healthy, we are SO much better able to help others get to the same lovely place of fulfillment and wellness.

The Gift of Self-Love

Recently, one of my life coaching clients told me that deciding to pursue life coaching with me was her holiday gift to herself.  I was so happy to hear her say that, that she acknowledged her self-worth by making a decision to take care of herself. What a wonderful model for the rest of us.

What it comes down to is loving yourself enough to give yourself  the gift of love every day, freely and without guilt. You are worth it.

With love-

Lin

p.s. It’s not too late to honor yourself with a gift of life coaching for the holidays.  Discover your inspiration, connect with your true self. Contact me for a free coaching session!

p.p.s.  You don’t need to wait for a holiday, either, because you are worth it every moment of your life!