Finding Yourself Beyond Your Responsibilities
There's this point in life where responsibilities carry a weight heavier than we expected. It becomes heavier to the point where we forget to make room to enjoy our own company. To spend time beyond our responsibilities.
We show up for our family. We take care of work. We commit to the tasks we need to fulfill and make sure the people around us have exactly what they need. We become used to being there for everyone else that we forget to stop and ask ourselves: How am I doing?
It's so easy to get caught up with the roles we play in life. We become mothers, partners, business owners, colleagues, and friends. These are all meaningful roles, but they aren't the only things that make us who we are.
We are made for so much more than this. We are made for more than the things we do for others.
When Life Becomes a Routine
Life can sometimes move so quickly. Until we realize that we have spent a short amount of time reclaiming ourselves. To breathe, to pause, to spend some time with things we personally want to do.
Our days become a cycle of routines, responsibilities, and roles to fulfill for the people in our lives. And suddenly, our interests become the very thing we push aside. We tell ourselves we'll find time to slow down, we'll take a break, or we'll spend the day to ourselves. But the responsibilities suddenly pile up and keep us going for it.
We get fueled by ticking off every task in our to-do list; we put our attention mostly on what our family needs, and we redirect ourselves to the goals we have previously made for our business.
There is always something that needs our attention the moment we plan to take the day off for ourselves.
But we also have to remember this: taking time for yourself does not mean you love your family less; it doesn't mean you care less about your work either. It simply means you recognize the needs that matter too.
There is nothing wrong with being grateful for the life you have built and still want more time to reconnect with yourself.
Both things matter in life.
Remembering Who You Are Outside Your Roles
Think about the person you were before responsibilities became a huge part of your life.
What are the things that used to excite you? What did you enjoy doing? What parts of yourself have you set aside to take care of everything and everyone else?
Looking back, you may not be the same person anymore, and that’s okay. Life changes us. Our experiences shape us. Our priorities evolve as life goes forth.
You are not aiming to become the person who you were before. Sometimes, we need to look back to understand the person we have become.
You don’t have to wait until you accomplish something just to start making yourself a priority.
Start permitting yourself to explore new things, spend time doing the things that excite you, and celebrate the parts of you you’ve outgrown throughout the years.
Making Room for Yourself
You don’t have to make a change in life just for you to reconnect with yourself.
It begins with something simple: spending an afternoon doing something you love, starting an honest conversation about the things you need, or even giving yourself permission to rest without the guilt of pausing from the things life requires you to do.
You start acknowledging the person you have become today, rather than constantly going against who you think you should be.
For some, a portrait session could be part of that experience.
Being photographed could offer an opportunity for you to see yourself outside of the roles you fulfill every day. It gives you a chance to recognize your individuality, reflect on your journey, and to honor the woman who stands before the camera.
You have to remember this in life as well: you don’t have to reach a specific milestone to become a different version of yourself first. You can simply celebrate the woman you are right now.
You Are Still Becoming
The responsibilities you carry are part of your story, but they don’t have to be the basis of who you are becoming.
Your responsibilities are not your entire story.
You can love your family and still need time for yourself. You can aim for a goal in your career and still explore something new for yourself. You can appreciate the life you have built while giving space for the person you are still becoming.
Finding yourself beyond the pile of responsibilities doesn’t mean you’re abandoning the people or commitments that matter to you. It’s about remembering that you matter too.
When was the last time you did something for yourself without the guilt of taking the time off?
When was the last time you did something that made you feel like yourself?
Perhaps it is time for you to make that room for yourself again.
Not because you failed to build who you are, but because the woman you have become now deserves the attention too.
