I know this is a generalisation but I think women tend to feel far more guilty than men when they put themselves first, or perceive that they do. I still feel guilty, at times, when I have a rest or take time for myself.

So many of us, from an early age have been conditioned to “be good” or “be nice”. Even if we didn’t quite achieve that, like me 😉, we still felt that was the truth and so to be good enough or worthy, we needed other people’s approval or validation. We can go through life trying to please people. This could be with our family, at work, in our relationships… Or even a stranger at the supermarket!

Do you want to stop feeling guilty and put yourself first?

Self-care is a complete form of self-love and if we don’t look after ourselves completely, not just as an afterthought, then we can start to become resentful, worn out or even depressed. 

So, this is the time to take control and give yourself permission to do nothing for a whole hour, or a day or a week – you get the picture. 

Here are 5 more things you can stop feeling guilty about

(It’s not just me, is it?!) 

1. Watching rubbish telly

Not everything has to be high-brow or educational. Sit and enjoy Gogglebox if you wish, yes that’s my gorgeous go to telly programme that makes me laugh out loud which is such a joy.

2. Removing someone from your life

If there is someone in your life that is really not good for you, doesn’t nourish you, maybe undermines you, lets you down all the time, you can let them go with love.

3. Having the emotions you have 

Sometimes, we feel angry, upset or fearful but then we can feel guilty for having these emotions. It’s OK to not feel OK, in other words, to feel crap. Having your feelings and expressing them (in a safe way) is so much better than pushing them down and ignoring them.

4. Asking yourself:  “What’s the most loving thing that I can do for myself right now?” 

And then go do it without feeling guilty! It might be as simple as drinking a glass of water, or taking a moment to close your eyes and spend 5 minutes breathing, going within. Maybe giving yourself a big hug or tell yourself you’re amazing in the mirror, get outside for some fresh air. It’s about nourishing and nurturing yourself with acts of self-love without feeling bad about it. Listen to and honour yourself.  When you do what’s right for you, it’s right for everybody.

5. Having “stupid, mindless” fun! 

I think having fun is a serious business and as adults, we can easily forget to have fun. Or if we do, we can start feeling guilty about it. Louise Hay, of course, talks about this in “How to Love Yourself” I’m sharing the video below on this very important subject! It creates joy, which creates more endorphins; more serotonin. This allows us to vibrate at a higher level. When we vibrate at a higher level, we open up more and more to life.

Of course, this list can go on and on. What else could you add? I’d love to know what you’d add.

If you’ve had enough of feeling guilty and would like to find out about really loving yourself every day, why not book in a confidential call with me with this link?