Have you ever felt like you’ve turned down the volume to your own voice?
Or maybe you’ve felt like you’ve lost your glow or sense of self?
I mean think about it…really stop and think about those questions.
What do I mean by these words? Do you give away so many yeses that you don’t have any left for yourself?
If you feel exhausted by an internal battle between doing the things you really want or need to do and trying to be perfect for those around you (that little guy sitting on your shoulder chanting, “people pleaser…people pleaser…people pleaser!’), you are not alone, sister!
I often times overthink things…my head never stops actually…I’m usually talking to myself on the inside.
Maybe it’s making deals with myself, like,
“Hey, if you do this for that person…you’ll feel better about yourself and they will like you more.”
I did this recently; I actually said these words to myself. A moment of,
“What the heck am I saying” and immediately, “Remember, you’re not supposed to care what others think” rolled through my head.
Nourish Yourself
It was at that very moment I decided I needed to treat myself like a plant, which is ironic, because I do not have a green thumb. I can’t seem to keep a plant alive.
but stay with me on this..it makes sense!
SO back to the plant… I needed to nourish myself and water myself! I knew that if I didn’t start taking care of myself and if I didn’t stop stretching myself so thin, that I’d soon crawl into a hole and disappear for a weekend or I’ll end up sick…and hello…NO ONE HAS TIME FOR THAT!!!
We’ve got a life to live and getting sick is never in the schedule.
So, I found myself wanting to shade everyone around me, but I wasn’t getting enough water for my own personal growth. I was withering and wilting away… and that is the OPPOSITE of serving and being a healthy comfort to others…which is my extreme passion!
I immediately knew I needed some alone time..time for myself. But how the heck was I going to do that with EVERYTHING I had going on?
The answer was simple and I was fighting it with every bone in my body.
I needed to start saying no…start changing my mentality and habitual need to say yes.
I’m starting to see how being selective with who gets access to my time is enabling me to perform at 100% instead of being on a constant power saving mode!
You’ve Got The Right To Say NO!
I want to encourage you to reflect on the amount of yeses you give out!
Do you give more away to others than you do to yourself?
Hey, it’s okay to self-preserve…that’s VERY DIFFERENT than being selfish! It’s OK to feed your spirit, get more rest and emotionally protect yourself from people that may wind up ultimately draining you. That is called BEING THE BEST YOU…BEING THE VERY BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF!
If you’re looking for permission to make that change..here it is! You’ve got every right in the world to say no…and it’ll make you a better person because of it.
Thankfully He NEVER Tires
P.S. If you are feeling tired and exhausted today, let’s just savor in the fact that when we have nothing left to give physically and mentally, Jesus never tires and He gives us strength when we need it!
We can always count on Him to re-caffinate us and fill our cups so that we can, in turn, pour out onto others what we need to!
