Being a Good Mother to You
I hope you’re beginning to see that there are many ways you can practice self-care and nurture yourself even if you’ve struggled in the past to take care of you, and even if you don’t know where to start. (Find out more in my last article.)
When you are filled up with your own unique self-nurturing practice — which happens over time and with baby steps — you are naturally more peaceful and joyful.
And when you are more peaceful and joyful it changes how you think about and approach everything. It makes all the difference when you’re resourced, rather than feeling depleted, empty, and despairing.
There are three simple ways you can tell in any given moment that you are treating yourself in a less-than-nurturing way, or struggling to be a “good mother” to yourself:
The first sign is that you are criticizing or attacking yourself.
Most of us have a high tolerance for self-criticism.
But ask yourself, “Would I say the things I say to myself to my daughter or another woman I deeply care about?” Of course not!
The second sign that you’re not nurturing yourself is that you’re engaging in some form of self-neglect.
You may be neglecting everyday activities like eating nutritious food, bathing, or doing the laundry.
Or you may be neglecting yourself in big ways like not setting boundaries or not leaving a relationship that is unworkable, persistently painful, or even abusive.
The third sign that you’re struggling to self-nurture is that you are indulging yourself in some way.
For example, if one piece of chocolate for dessert would be wonderful, a giant family size chocolate bar would be even better!
Or you indulge yourself by nurturing old hurts and wounds, or telling yourself that you have a right to be emotionally or verbally abusive to another person because they hurt you in the past.
Pia Mellody calls this “offending from the victim position.” And while it’s extremely tempting to do, it is toxic to your relationships and ultimately to you.
Self-criticism, self-neglect, and self-indulgence are sure signs that you are struggling to take care of yourself.
You may be thinking, “I’ve been treating myself like this my whole life. I’ve never known how to take care of myself. I don’t see how this can ever change.”
If this is true for you, you have fallen prey to despair and a defeated self-perception.
Ask yourself, “How do I want to feel?” If you want to feel better, if you want this pattern to change, you can do it.
And what better time is there to start than now?
You may be thinking, “I’ve got so many people depending on me, I don’t have time. I’ll take care of myself later.”
Sure, there are times (not many) in our lives where for a short season we need to prioritize another person’s care over our own.
But if this is has become a chronic excuse for not taking care of you, or if you feel powerless to do otherwise, imagine telling another person, “You don’t deserve to take time to care for yourself. You need to take care of everyone else first.” Ouch!
Imagine what it would feel like to:
- Trust in your ability to prioritize you, even in the face of pushback or the disapproval of others.
- Put yourself first and teach your daughters or other women you love to do the same — through modeling self-care and self-love.
- Know how to nurture yourself, even if no one ever taught you how to do it.
- Have an actionable framework for repairing the hurts from the past that block you from caring for you, so that you can heal yourself in the present.
You deserve the life you want to create, and I would love to show you how to make it happen.
In my next post I’ll be sharing with you an opportunity to go even deeper, working with me and a small intimate group of women, so that you can heal past wounds and learn how to nurture, affirm, and stand for yourself as your fiercest ally.
In the meantime, what one small step would you like to take now in the direction of eliminating self-neglect, self-criticism, or self-indulgence? I’d love to hear what you’re committed to doing for you in the comments.💙
© Victoria Priya (formerly Palmer) 2023

Hi, I'm Victoria!
I love guiding my clients on a journey of Returning to the authentic truth of who they are, Reclaiming what is theirs, and Receiving everything that is meant for them.
8 Comments
Leave a Comment
Imagine you, filled up
Get Free Self-Care Ideas
30 practical & delicious ideas to start building your self-care practice today.
It is so important that you feel good. It’s good for you, your loved ones, and the world.

©2022-2023 Victoria Priya | All Rights Reserved
Website Design by Natalie McGuire Design
As a young girl, I remember being inspired, awed even, by women who showed this kind of care to themselves. Maybe in part because in my family there were no women doing it. To me, these glowing women were like magical creatures from another realm! That little girl, now in a grown up body, still longs to be one of those women.
All the how’s are there, along with a deeply cultivated belief that I do deserve it, but wow did you nail my experience when you talk about despair and defeated self-perception. I am right there. There seems to be so much that unconsciously drives these patterns. And I’ve done much work to heal the past. Yet I still go up and down, in self care cycles of neglect and attunement.
I am on the edge of my seat to hear what you say next Victoria! Loving this series.
Thanks Donna, I’m imagining that on some level (even imperceptible to you) you are already one of the glowing women from another realm. As they say, “you spot it, you got it!”
What is one small completely doable self-care activity you can commit to just for today?
I so relate to the sentiment “I’ve got so many people depending on me, I don’t have time. I’ll take care of myself later.” I’ve got children with disabilities, last week my husband was in the ER with amnesia, and yesterday my daughter tested positive for COVID. It is so easy to look at the events in life and to slip back into the mentality that there is no time to take care of me.
Not caring for me has taken a toll on my body, and now I’m in chronic pain. I used to treat the pain as something that I should just ignore … my mentality was ‘I’m always in pain so I won’t let the pain stop me!’ I was doing whatever I deemed needed to be done to care for others. Now that same pain is signal that I am trying to honor. It is telling me to slow down and be aware of my needs. Last week I ordered an Earthing mat because I got to borrow one and using it made a difference in how I feel. Yesterday I scheduled an appointment with a new doctor, someone I hope will be able to help me find answers about my body and pain. This morning I woke up in pain and took a bath soaking in Epsom salt and arnica to ease the pain before calling doctors and schools. If I don’t take time to care of me who will? If I don’t value my needs, I’ve found that nobody else will either.
Kaylene, your commitment to you is beautiful. Thank you for sharing.💙
Yoga,
Pause when triggered ,
Drink herbal tea,
Kind inner talk,
Thank you for the self nurturing idea and the beautiful article!!!!
Beautiful Janette, you’re welcome!💙
Wow! I thought I was doing a good job with self-care and at times I have done better than others.
All 3 struck a cord with me.
Self-neglect- I have tried to focus on certain areas that haven’t gotten a lot of attention such as my feet (soaking them, taking care of calluses, going in for a pedicure, etc.) I also have worked on setting 3 small, achievable goals at a time (physical, emotional, spiritual, mental)
Self-criticism I am breaking by being gentle with myself and asking what would be a more effective way to think.
Self-indulgence is probably the hardest one for me to combat. I find myself thinking I’m taking care of myself and relaxing (talking about those sweets, only to find myself more uptight or out of sorts instead of feeling replenished.
You’re doing great Rebekah, thanks for sharing.💙