I’ve noticed women who model a sustained, successful practice of self-care typically adopt a dual mindset—the yin and yang of self-care.
The first mindset
You feel entitled to take care of yourself and make self-care a priority.
This mindset—characterized by feeling entitled—is critical because it allows you to declare you are worth the investment in self and commit the time, energy, and resources necessary for self-care.
The second mindset
You embrace flexibility and acknowledge real life.
This mindset knows the unplanned and unexpected happen. It understands self-care may sometimes need to be scaled back in response to a sudden situation. This approach allows you to balance self-care with reality and flexibly adjust for long-term sustainability.
The Yin and Yang of self-care
These two mindsets may sound contradictory because one actively embraces and seeks self-care while the other accepts the reality that supreme self-care isn’t always realistic.
But think about Yin and Yang, the concept of opposing forces that are interconnected and interdependent—two opposites that complete the whole and keep life in balance.
The two mindsets required for ongoing self-care are very much Yin and Yang—a duality that can’t exist without both parts.
My challenge to you is to embrace these two critical self-care mindsets: Acknowledge you are deserving and entitled AND adopt a flexible, sustainable mindset for long-term success.
