We live in a world where it is so easy to be at the bottom of our own priority list. We have the best intentions but then 20 other tasks pop up and next thing you know, you never actually got around to caring for yourself. Unfortunately, self-care can seem like just one more thing to add to our never-ending to-do list. But what if I told you it doesn’t have to feel so overwhelming? What if asking ourselves one question each day could help us find better balance between our busy lives and actually taking care of ourselves?
I know what you’re thinking – how could one question achieve this? I’ll be perfectly honest with you: one question is not going to solve all your problems or suddenly clear a bunch of time in your schedule for self-care. BUT it will help you to start building a solid foundation towards making yourself a priority and finding the self-care that works for you and your lifestyle. Still interested? Then keep reading to find out what this magical question is! (Spoiler alert, it’s actually a fairly simple question, just in case you were worried I was going to surprise you with a university-level algebra question or something.)
Which question should you start asking yourself each day?
Are you ready for this ground-breaking question? Here it is:
WHAT IS SOMETHING KIND I CAN DO FOR MYSELF TODAY?
It’s that simple! Perhaps it even seems too simple. Great, that means you should have no problem answering it every day 😉
Why am I encouraging you to ask yourself this question?
Thank you for asking. Here are my main motives:
First, as I’ve said already, we tend to not prioritize ourselves at all. This question is a simple way to make yourself a priority each day.
Second, asking yourself this question helps to increase self-awareness, self-understanding and self-compassion (basically all the selfs). You might even be surprised by your answer(s) some days.
Third, whether we recognize it or not, we put a lot of emotional work in daily, for others and for ourselves. We deserve to honour this work and the ways that we do show up for ourselves.
Fourth – and here’s the most important reason so listen closely – simply because you are WORTH IT. You don’t have to earn your own kindness. I am here to tell you, without even knowing you, that you are worthy of kindness and care.
My challenge to you
I am going to assign you a bit of homework now. Once again, I promise there will be no math involved! Your homework, should you choose to accept, is to ask yourself this question daily for the next few days. The second part of your homework is to actually answer the question and then make whatever your answer is happen!
Variations to the one question a day
If this is a practice that you would like to continue with but you would like to spice things up even more, I’ve included a short list of variations on this question that you can play around with. One might feel more fitting than others on a particular day, or maybe you just choose at random each day – whatever works best for you!
- How can I show myself love today?
- How can I have fun today?
- What is one thing I can do today to help charge my battery/re-energize?
- What does my body need today?
- What is a kind message I can offer myself today?
- How can I show up for myself today?
- What do I need in this moment?
Let me know in the comments if you have your own variation of the daily question. I would also love to hear your answer to this: what is something kind that you can do for yourself today?
