The Real Diamond Masterclass
Part 2 of 7
The practice of self-care and what does it entail? Let’s talk about it from a therapeutic perspective.
applying the principles of self-care
How to rewire the brain and reverse your perception of who you are
Closing the gap between family relationship dynamics and workplace relationship dynamics- part two
If you want to create and maintain a balance between your personal life and your work responsibilities this section is for you. This section is designed to help you restore and maintain your health and your sense of wellbeing in such a way so you can find balance between work and life; and between personal development and career development; between creativity and productivity. This section offers psychoeducation on the therapeutic principles of the core factors that contribute to achieving a work-life balance. These factors are ‘self-awareness’ and ‘self-care’. Your physical and mental health are interconnected and can affect your overall sense of self-esteem and sense of wellbeing. That’s why connecting to your inner feelings can help you connect with your physical senses as well and process your emotions effectively.
To many of us finding a balance between health and life responsibilities with no financial security can be anxiety provoking itself. What is needed here is a combination of factors that can help us with personal growth to maintain a balance between both health and wealth. Here are the factors necessary for achieving the growth needed to maintain a balance between both:
- A) self-awareness about the impact of attachment styles on personal growth.
- B) self-care strategies that can help recognise and develop your potential.
- shaping your identity through self-awareness
Your identity is shaped by the meaning, and therefore the value you give to intimacy and sex. And this is shaped by your early childhood experiences. Yet in adulthood, your experiences around sex and intimacy do not define who you are (your worth and value), on the contrary, it is you who defines the meaning to these and you set your boundaries accordingly. Your perception of intimacy and the role of sex in relationships determines how you treat yourself and how you are in relationships. Thus, your perception of healthy relationships is reflected through your approach to health and wellbeing. Unless you reconcile with the notion that sex is essential for a healthy and intimate relationship and should be communicated openly with your partner, the quality of your relationship with the opposite gender in general and with your partner in particular may be severely impacted. A relationship remains insecure and may become open to other people’s scrutiny and criticism when it lacks a healthy understanding to sex and all the valuable meanings that it entails. To be in a healthy relationship with significant others is to be in a healthy relationship with yourself!
Therefore, what does it mean to grow into a healthy relationship with yourself?
It means to develop self-awareness on early childhood experiences that contributed to limiting beliefs about the self in terms of sexuality (the role of sex in your life). These limiting beliefs can only be resolved and changed through therapeutic work and understanding. While it may seem too complicated or frustrating to do the therapy work, yet by understanding how healing occurs and what it takes to restore a balance between work and personal life you will be able to build healthy relationships confidently and maturely. To create a balance between intimacy and responsibilities, you need to create a balance between health and your sense of wellbeing. For a great outcome have a look at the theoretical basis of self-care.
B. what is self-care in therapeutic terms?
The theory of self-care entails reversing our need to be cared for into an ability to care for ourselves and those dependent on us. Self-care can best be understood in terms of the practice of mindfulness. Once mindfulness has become a daily intervention routine you will become better able to manage and navigate through feelings of guilt, shame, and sadness that may interfere into your daily life.
Self-care in therapeutic terms is the process of being mindful of any unpleasant feelings; and being aware of limiting self-beliefs causing those unpleasant feelings. By connecting to and accepting your thoughts and feelings, you will start to develop an inter-dependent personality style that does not rely on others for affirmation and is not “reward-seeking”. On the contrary, it is willing to go through the pain as an internal experience and process it to gain insight into the causes of the issue and learn how to treat it effectively. Processing unpleasant feelings this way can help develop an interconnected, genuine personality that has the potential to experience a sense of appreciation of the self in the present moment.