Are You Responsible for Yourself?

Treating yourself as you would a loved one is the key to an emotionally healthy life.

Self-responsibility:

noun, plural re·spon·si·bil·i·ties.

the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one’s power, control, or management.

It is said that self-responsibility is the “cornerstone of personal wellness”. Without it, we go around blaming or attributing the situations in our lives to someone/something else.

Being responsible, in my opinion, also encompasses a few other aspects of self-care: self-respect, self-love, and self-awareness. Being responsible for ourselves doesn’t necessarily have to just mean being accountable. I’m going to give you an example of what I mean…

Let’s say that you are babysitting or caring for someone in your close family, OR you are a parent who is “responsible” for their child. That doesn’t just mean you make sure they don’t break a leg or get lost, it typically means you take some care in your approach. You are:

• Protective
• Genuinely concerned for their well-being
• Gentle
• Nurturing/helpful

This is assuming you are caring for someone you love, of course.

Now, go ahead and locate the closest mirror in your house. Stand in front of it and ask yourself the following questions:

1. Am I protective of myself, or do I allow people in my space that create situations that are mentally or physically harmful?
2. Do I take my well-being as my number one priority, or do I prioritize others over myself at the expense of my own best interest?
3. Am I gentle with myself, or do I inflict self-sabotage or self-destructive behaviors on myself regularly?
4. Do I serve my own interests, seek enlightenment and growth and do I nurture my body, mind, and soul as I would a loved one?

I know these are tough. I also know most of you feel a bit sad after doing that exercise. I certainly did.

But there is good news! You can start today. You can write those questions on a Post-It or note pad and keep it close to you from today forward. You don’t have to do any fancy personal development exercises, just do little things each day to become more self-responsible. It’ll get easier as you build this skill.

Accountability should not be ignored as a facet of this, as it is a big part as well. Taking responsibility for our actions not only toward ourselves but others and the planet is key to mastering self-responsibility. How accountable are you?

Do you:

~have poor discipline and structure to your life, so you are constantly missing opportunities?

~drink or use drugs to the point of endangering yourself or others, or affecting your quality of life?

~put yourself in dangerous situations (unprotected sex, unhealthy eating, bingeing on social media, not exercising)?

~treat others badly or blame others for reacting to your poor behavior?

~refuse to apologize or make amends when you hurt someone?

Many people could use a refresher course in accountability, so don’t beat yourself up. As I said earlier, start today. The journey to one of the greatest places you could go is going to be messy and not short. But that place of total self-responsibility is FREEDOM. It is the ultimate form of self-love. (Which we can all admit is the Holy Grail)

As usual, I appreciate your time and attention. If this resonated with you, feel free to comment or follow me on one of my platforms. Facebook: @gabbyfox.official and Instagram @gabby_fox_ . If you think others need to read this, please feel free to share.

xo…G