A Daily Self-Care Ritual for Anyone Who Feels Lost in Life
“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.”
Everybody gets lost occasionally.
So disoriented that we forget who we are, where we’re heading, what we desire, and how to provide for our basic needs in order to feel well and fed.
I’ve been there frequently enough to understand that getting lost is normal and that it’s an inescapable part of life.
The catalysts? They are never consistent.
Some are subtle and long-lasting, while others are brief but so profound they knock me flat and leave me in shock: the hurt of not fitting in at school as a teenager, my father’s unexpected death while I was away at university, my first significant breakup, the moment I was in an emotionally abusive relationship but was unable to leave it
At times like these, when I find myself down on my knees, the first thing to go out the window is my motivation to take care of myself.
I either quit eating or eat too much. All day long, I lie in bed. I do not consume enough water. I consume too much alcohol. I start treating myself badly. I become impatient with both people and myself.
It’s just easier to let it go.
I didn’t realise until I was in my mid-thirties that continuing this pattern of behaviour wasn’t helping me at all till recently. Actually, they were preventing me from healing and progressing by keeping me in a bad position.
During this time, I made the decision to end that pattern and give my intuition the credit and recognition it deserved by incorporating the subsequent self-care practices into my daily routine.
I give myself permission to not feel motivated all the time.
I’ve always believed that motivation is this blazing, intense desire that pushes me to constantly act in my own best interests.
I should desire to accomplish something constantly, if it was important enough, isn’t that right?
Not really.
As time went on and I acquired more life experience, I realised that there would be highs and lows and that sometimes I would want to get off the moving train because it seemed like too much work to stay on it.
It is crucial that you acknowledge this and give yourself permission to be in this state without any sense of shame. Give yourself enough room to relax and breathe, and then begin easing yourself into
