Embracing Self-Accountability: Preparing for Life’s Responsibilities

Themes: Self-care, coping skills
Helpful for: Anxiety, stress, parenting, self-care

When working with clients, I see several themes recurring in our conversations. One of those themes is the idea of responsibility vs. self-accountability. Accountability is all about doing things for yourself that no one realizes you’re doing… but they’re the things that help you feel prepared for the responsibilities of life. It’s something that we don’t always think about working on but it’s critical for us to hold ourselves accountable and take care of what we need so that we can help everyone else around us. Self-accountability is something that can be neglected, particularly if you’re in a position where you have to pick up responsibility for a lot of other people or things. We stop caring for ourselves in order to balance everything else. Think about children who have to step up as parental figures before they’re ready. They’re worried about their siblings, getting dinner on the table, and maybe even worrying about the overdue bills on the table. Their grades slip and focus at school wanes. Now, if you take that child and put them in a setting where all they can do is focus on themselves - what might you see? Perhaps someone who can actually get their work done and begin to lessen the strict rules around their school setting. When given the chance, they can become accountable for their own actions and experiences before dealing with the responsibilities heaped on them. As we hone our self-accountability skills, we find ourselves better equipped to tackle life’s responsibilities head-on. Gone are the days of feeling overwhelmed and underprepared. Self-accountability isn’t just about ticking off tasks on a to-do list. It’s about taking care of ourselves—mind, body, and soul. While the responsibilities of life never really go away, especially in certain life situations, we become better able to handle them if we take care of ourselves first. We have to hold ourselves accountable for making that trip to the gym, eating well and drinking water, or even attending therapy. Whatever it is that helps us better face the challenges of life, we have to show up for it! Accountability starts from within. We have to stop and ask ourselves the right questions so that we can care for ourselves and others around us.