As a self-care coach and community builder, let me go on record to say the following:

Yes, self-care is hard.

deep breath

It is easier to just go through the motions.

It is easier to just take a shower than it is to "pamper" yourself with a bath.

It is easier to just nod and go along with what other people saythan it is to find your voice and speak on what you need.

It is easier to throw yourself into work, into motherhood, into a relationship instead of examining why you’re not happy.

It is easier to lean on religion as a reason you don’t need anyone on this earthly plane to take care of you — God's got you! — than it is to be vulnerable and let yourself depend on another human being.

It is easier to say “I got it” than it is to say “I need help.”

I know because every day I have to make a choice between my old way of living (getting by) and my new desire of living a full, meaningful life where I thrive.

When I was making the "easy" choices, I wasn't happy.

When I was taking shortcuts, I cried a lot.

When I was busy focusing outward, I felt empty.

I needed to pour into myself.

So I had to make different choices.

I had to set — and enforce! — boundaries. That's hard.

I had to let go of my fear of rejection and develop close friendships where I could lean on women in my time of need. That's hard.

I had to change how I viewed myself — from a woman whose worth was in how she served others to a woman who didn't have to "prove" anything to anyone. That's hard.

So believe me, I hear you. This sh*t is hard. It requires a complete mindset shift so that eventually…it gets easier. Eventually, you will begin to shed old habits and replace them with new rituals that keep you focused, balanced and joyful.

It's hard….until it ain't. Let's get free together, sis.