So last week, our awesome new website was inundated with boudoir photos. My mom wasn’t too pleased with this. My best gal pal was also concerned. (Love y’all both!) While some may view boudoir as risqué, I think our team did a great job taking beautiful, tasteful photos and also writing about the courage and sense of self-worth/love/appreciation a boudoir session both requires and help creates.
And it also got me thinking… how am I treating myself these days? I wrote a bit about making time for myself, and that’s important – and something I’m getting better at! But as I made time for myself, I also made time for being extra-critical of myself. My never-ending to-do list. My stress about paying bills. My feeling two steps behind. Always pulling my hair in a pony tail. Etc. Etc. Etc.
So I decided to give myself a mental boudoir session of sorts. Strip myself down, emotionally. What do I need? How do I feel? And what I need is to be my own best friend. To treat myself the way my friends treat me, and the way I (hopefully) treat them. Instead of letting that critical voice berate me, I need to talk myself the way I would talk to an anxious, stressed-out friend.
Breathe. You’re doing awesome. It’s gonna be ok. Let’s do some yoga and have a glass of wine.
Not only is it of the utmost importance for my own self-care and life balance to treat myself with kindness and respect, but it is also exactly what I want to model for my son. I don’t want him witnessing a frazzled woman being down on herself. I want him to see me for who I really am: a confident, joyful, present, enthusiastically peaceful woman.
I’m a good friend to others. And I’m starting to be a very good friend to myself. Which makes for a super awesome mama. And that makes everyone a little bit happier!
Don't normally comment, Leah, but I try to get the same thing across to Lauren and to many of the students I have taught through the years. Not to get Biblical, but I'm always reminded of the verse that says "love thy neighbor as thyself" or the title of a pop psychology book in the seventies, "How To Be Your Own Best Friend.You have to love yourself (in a healthy way, of course) and be your own best friend before you can love and friend others. Very powerful words we all need to hear. Enjoyed your post and I love looking at the pictures of your family!
You are a loving, generous giver of love. And thank you.