Me First Once in a While…Why Not?
manuelita otero
Do you remember that joy that you would feel when as a little girl or as a teenager your parents would allow you to go to that road trip with your cousins, or to the party you really wanted to go?
Many times we would approach our parents or the person who was taking care of us and shyly ask for the special permission. Most likely, if our parents saw that there were no risks, they would let us go, making us the happiest people on earth.
As I look around now in my life and the life of my friends, I feel that nowadays we are forgetting to give ourselves those “special permissions” we wanted so badly as little girls. We are saying no to small things such as a free day for ourselves once in a while, an afternoon at the spa or at the beauty salon or watching our favorite program… little somethings that make us feel happy.
It seems that as time goes by we allow guilt to grow, to the point that it steals our capacity to “spoil” ourselves in a good way, to take care of us, and to do things that we enjoy.
I say this because I have noticed that when I give myself a little something, I feel I have to justify it to others. I say things such as “I haven’t bought myself anything in a long time”, “I really needed it”, “there was an incredible sale”, as if there is need for an excuse and it is not enough that we bought ourselves something because we love ourselves.
That guilt is a clue of what could be happening, and it is stopping me from treating myself as the precious and valuable woman that I am.. I don’t have to think that I am a bad mom or a bad daughter because one day I put myself first when it was time to choose something to do or buy something.
Many times out of “respect” for others we do not give ourselves the things that we enjoy because guilt stops us and that guilt usually only exists in our imagination.
To give ourselves time, peace, freedom, trips, clothes, massages, experiences, and many other things should be something that can happen any day. It is good to give ourselves little somethings each and every day of our life.
By Ana