Advocating for the care of women has been a centerpiece in my career. Speaking up for patient’s wishes when they’re asleep on the operating room table, sharing the best options and solutions to help them achieve their health and wellness goals and  expressing their previously determined desires when a trauma has prevented them from doing so for themselves are a few of the ways that I’ve cared for the well-being of women.

Recently, I’ve been encountering more and more women who believe that self-care is not for them. They describe not wanting to practice self-care because it makes them feel worse, heightening anxiety, bringing up terrible emotions and putting them in a state of overwhelm.

When I first learned about these reactions, I wanted to know more. How many people feel this way, avoiding self-care all together because they dare not put themselves in this position? How many women are paralyzed and refusing the care they need because they’re afraid of opening wounds and releasing the infections they’re living with?

Running and hiding from these feelings and emotions will never provide you the solution you actually need or the peace you truly desire. These feelings and emotions, no matter how negative, are important indicators that point to areas that need your attention so they can be healed. Masking them, ignoring them, medicating them doesn’t make them go away or make you feel any better. These acts of avoidance keep the toxins present in your life.

You simply can’t heal what you keep hidden. So becoming aware of exactly what you’re thinking, the feelings they produce and the behaviors that result is the beginning of healing.

Yes, this may seem scary and avoidable, yet it’s a critical aspect of your self-care and well-being. Self-care is your opportunity, and a necessary pathway, to gain freedom from past trauma and begin thriving in every area of your life.

When you don’t like what self-care reveals, you’re presented with an opportunity to be intentional about how you will show up for your life. Healed, whole and well are attainable options if you’re willing to do the work.

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Ready to begin your healing journey and start living in freedom, I’d like to support you. Join me for Self-Care Conscious. Click here to learn more.