By Maria Fontana ~
Yes! I said it, I don’t care what you think of me. I don’t care what you say about me either, and I will tell you why.Â
Like many of us in our childhood, I was conditioned to put others first. The “people” mattered most of all, later I wondered who the fuck these people really were and what they had to do with my life anyway.
What strangers, neighbors, relatives and just about everyone else said or thought had importance, my voice did not, what I felt was always pushed down. My voice was stifled and my feelings ignored, now this is not a “poor me” story, but a story of growth. As I healed and did immense work on myself I discovered “I” mattered, my voice mattered and my feelings mattered.
Simple gestures of self- love towards myself helped me grow, here are a few I used:
- Scheduling myself for me time
- Eliminating toxic people from my circle
- Saying “NO”
- Doing only what brings me “Joy” and nothing out of obligation or guilt
- Value my schedule and timeÂ
- Loving myself
- Forgiving myself and other’s for everything they/ I may have done or not done
- Banning negative self-talk about myself
- Banning other’s negative opinions
- Â Surrounding myself with positive people
- Following my passion
- Releasing any and all judgment of myself and other’s
- Staying present in the moment
- Being Grateful for the simple things daily
- Taking a Deep Breathe regularly
- Being first is not selfish, but necessary
Accepting to choose how you react eliminates the need for anyone else’s approval, you must love and approve of yourself and only then will you feel free. Take baby steps, one small change at a time and you will feel so much better. Change career, change your hair color, wear that outfit, who cares what anyone says.