Love the Person You See in the Mirror...

by Madhumathi H.

e cannot serve from an empty cup."

Self-care is the most essential, to evolve as a GIVER

Without nourishing ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally, we cannot do justice in caring for others.

The first step to self-care is to stop overwhelming oneself with too many responsibilities. It is OKAY if we couldn't tick all the tasks from the 'to do' list. It is OKAY if we pause, take a break, rest a little before we get back to our endless list of work that drains our energy in all aspects.

We don't have to prove anything to anyone Each one's journey, is unique Not comparing with others' journey, not allowing the society's opinion to affect us, and doing what we love are wise efforts/decision towards self-care

Learning to say "No", and prioritizing our own well-being is the greatest gift we can give ourselves.

Setting boundaries, and saying "No" saves us from a lot of stress

My yoga eveyday on waking up, is to smile.

I make sure the day starts with just a tiny smile, and being kind to the person in the mirror Rest of the day, even if challenging, i make sure I wake up with hope, gratitude, smile, reminding myself "Am my own Sunshine"

Learning to be our own anchor, fills us with immense strength

It's not easy, but it's not impossible.

Self-care begins when we learn to live life in moments In celebrating ourselves

Pampering us with little things right from taking time to sip, and savor a cup of coffee/tea, spending time in Nature, listening to favorite songs, watching a movie, going to the Sea, cycling, dancing, getting drenched in the rain or making paper boats, shopping, wearing your favorite outfit/getting dressed up, or meet a good friend the list is long

Every second spent exclusively to make oneself happy, is self-care

Without worrying what will others say/think of me

Silence, is part of self-care. If we feel we need some silence, space, to connect with our self, to calm our chaos, confusions, to just be, to breathe, choosing silence is a peaceful path for self-care, and we don't have to explain our silence to everyone, and wait for people to understand.

There will always be nitpickers, judgemental, inconsiderate people in the world who can't/won't empathise

It's OKAY to break down, to feel lost, frustrated when life's challenges/certain phases overwhelm. We don't have to be positive/cheerful all the time

Acknowledging our pain, struggle, vulnerable moments, tears, are all part of self-care

Being in our own cocoon helps us to gradually heal. Choosing to stay away from people/crowd,(not feeling comfortable to attend calls, have conversations) are all part of self-care and it is absolutely OKAY to say, "Am not emotionally available now".

You are NOT a party pooper, if you seek some silence, space, & have to say NO! Wish to stay at home, when you are expected to attend a party/an event...

You don't have to explain beyond a point, when healing is often a lonely journey The eternally judgemental people are NOT going to empathise, or handhold you.

A NO, is a complete sentence. Saying NO is undoubtedly a form of self-care

The right people will stay with you, wait for you until you heal

We don't need anyone's consent/approval to gift ourselves some much needed love, care, attention, and above all, respect

Let's value ourselves with abundant kindness

Even if the whole world lets us down, if we learnt to love ourselves, we will never feel lonely We are our own anchor

Let's learn to land in love with ourselves each day. Now smile, and tell the person you see in the mirror, and say, "You deserve an ocean of love You are important And, I love you" Yes! You deserve to be loved

A bilingual poet-writer(Tamil, English), Madhumathi. H is an ardent lover of Nature, Poetry, Photography, and Music.

Her poems are published in Anthologies of The Poetry Society(India), CPC- Chennai Poetry Circle's EFFLORESCENCE, IPC's(India Poetry Circle) Madras Hues Myriad Views, Amaravati e-Anthologies Monsoon moods - Muse India, Green Awakenings - On Environment, by KavyaAdisakrit

Poetic Prism 2015, and in e-zines UGC approved Muse India, Storizen, OPA – Our Poetry Archives, IWJ - International Writers Journal, Positive Vibes, Science Shore.

Ignite Poetry, Breathe Poetry, Dream Poetry, and Soul shores have 10 of her poems published, Soul Serenade, Shades of LoveAIFEST, Arising from the dust, Painting Dreams, Shards of unsung Poesies, are some of the Anthologies her poems, and write-ups are part of. (2020 to 2022)

Besides Poetry, Madhumathi writes on Mental health, to create awareness, break the stigma, believing in the therapeutic, transformational power of words.

Contact: madhumathi poetry@gmail com

Blogs: https://madhumathipoetry wordpress com

To Love Yourself is To Love Yourself is the Start of a Lifelong the Start of a Lifelong