We can likely all relate to not wanting our families to struggle financially, but what about spiritually and emotionally? Legacy is often associated with wealth, but Merriam-Webster also describes it as anything left behind from someone in the past. We’re empowering you to leave behind a lifestyle that demonstrates the growth, healing, and self-love you’re working so hard for. It’s called a self-care legacy, and we believe it’s a vital component of holistic wealth.
Discover the Roots of Your Self-Care Legacy
Establishing your self-care legacy starts with understanding the legacy you inherited. Whether intentional or not, you learned your view of yourself and the world from the people that raised and influenced you. And like you, their perspectives were defined by the obstacles they had to overcome. We encourage you to trace your family lineage to find incidents that have impeded the matriarchs of your family from prioritizing self-care. This could include:
- Emotional and physical abuse
- Substance abuse
- Neglect
- Slavery
- Poverty
- Economic recession
- Racial tensions
- Sexism
- Mental health disorders
- Physical illnesses
This is not an all-inclusive list, but these barriers may give you an idea of what to look for. Of course, every family is different, and what your family has survived is no less impactful, so try not to compare or downplay anything.
As you search internally, you may be able to tie them to generational patterns of behaviors. Here are some examples:
- Domestic abuse survivors may pass down symptoms of low self-esteem and self-worth.
- Success-driven families may create the unhealthy pursuit of perfection in their children.
- “Strong” women may instill the toxic patterns of disregarding, or even shunning, depression.
- Absent (or less present) parents may create unhealthy self-sufficiency and trust issues in children.
Discovering these tendencies takes deep reflective work, so take as long as you need to process your family’s story. Once you understand, you can decide how (and if) you want to change your self-care philosophy.
Set Your Self-Care Intentions
When you are ready, make the deeply rooted, multi-faceted choice to take everything you’ve learned and measure it against wholeness. Then, decide the best practices you can use to close the gap. Empower yourself to go beyond what you’ve learned to honor what your soul needs, and align yourself to receive it.
Examples of new patterns to put into practice could include:
- Healthier communication
- Healthier boundaries
- Healthier work-life balance
- Healthier eating
- More fulfilling relationships
- Regular counseling and therapy
- Communion with nature
- Physical exercise/body movement
- Healthier self-image
Please note that creating these healthier patterns and perceptions will be a journey with no set arrival point. However, as you see yourself evolve, feel empowered to discover new ways to grow and expand your self-care legacy. Be patient with yourself as you incorporate these healthier replacement patterns into your life – and ultimately, your legacy. Remember, these patterns are things you want to pass down to the next generation.
Also, remember this process is a beautifully unfolding journey. We encourage you to celebrate every discovery, milestone, and new beginning. Do this soul work, knowing that generational unhealthy patterns can stop with you! The pursuit of wholeness can live on after you, and the legacy of self-care you set moving forward will be the starting point for more wholeness and happiness for anyone after you can continue to build on.
Happy legacy building! Join us on social media to talk more about your self-care legacy!
