Did y'all see the Oprah show where the discussion was about women not putting themselves at the top of their "To-Do" lists and one woman said she forgot to even put herself on the list? Was that an "ah-ha" moment for you? Did you change the way you approached taking care of yourself? Did you put on your own oxygen mask first, before trying to be of service to others? Was it the beginning of a new day?
Or did you just nod understandingly, or shake your head at the poor woman, and then go on with your life?
Now, I've worked through my own issues in this department, so I have a pretty good understanding of what goes on here. And yet I'm still stumped by all the people, especially women, who keep rattling off a list of excuses for why they're not taking care of themselves. Oh, sure, they SAY they're on the list -- right after they go here and do this and do that and take care of some other stuff for their family/job/charity/[insert commitment here]. But somehow, days and weeks and months and years go by, and they just never quite get around to taking care of themselves.
And here's the kicker, the thing that really gets me -- all those other responsibilities are so much harder to accomplish and take so much more time and energy because they're attempting to do them without the oxygen mask. So, whatever they're doing is taking more time out of their life than if they made the time for some vital self-care to help them be more efficient. How much longer does it take you to do anything if you're only getting half the oxygen you need? And if you're getting sick on a regular basis and having to stay in bed for a day or a week, how much of that time could have been saved with an hour a day of activities that feed your body and soul? For some of you, even half an hour could result in huge benefits (you know who you are).
Figure out what's causing the disconnect and getting in your way, and focus on fixing that. If you're like one of my friends, who gets distracted and doesn't remember to do self-care, take a page from her book and program your cell phone to give you reminders. Or whatever the problem is, spend some time looking at WHY you're not taking the time for yourself and DO something about it.
Or maybe, you've made one pretty decent change in the way you care for yourself and you're just sticking with that. You've done something good for yourself and checked it off your list and that's that. Great! Wonderful! Are you feeling completely healthy and great now? No? Well, then it's time to add something else to your routine. Baby steps are great, but notice it's plural....stepS. What's next? What's your next "one thing"?
I'm so glad you asked! I have a few suggestions.....
Or did you just nod understandingly, or shake your head at the poor woman, and then go on with your life?
Now, I've worked through my own issues in this department, so I have a pretty good understanding of what goes on here. And yet I'm still stumped by all the people, especially women, who keep rattling off a list of excuses for why they're not taking care of themselves. Oh, sure, they SAY they're on the list -- right after they go here and do this and do that and take care of some other stuff for their family/job/charity/[insert commitment here]. But somehow, days and weeks and months and years go by, and they just never quite get around to taking care of themselves.
And here's the kicker, the thing that really gets me -- all those other responsibilities are so much harder to accomplish and take so much more time and energy because they're attempting to do them without the oxygen mask. So, whatever they're doing is taking more time out of their life than if they made the time for some vital self-care to help them be more efficient. How much longer does it take you to do anything if you're only getting half the oxygen you need? And if you're getting sick on a regular basis and having to stay in bed for a day or a week, how much of that time could have been saved with an hour a day of activities that feed your body and soul? For some of you, even half an hour could result in huge benefits (you know who you are).
Figure out what's causing the disconnect and getting in your way, and focus on fixing that. If you're like one of my friends, who gets distracted and doesn't remember to do self-care, take a page from her book and program your cell phone to give you reminders. Or whatever the problem is, spend some time looking at WHY you're not taking the time for yourself and DO something about it.
Or maybe, you've made one pretty decent change in the way you care for yourself and you're just sticking with that. You've done something good for yourself and checked it off your list and that's that. Great! Wonderful! Are you feeling completely healthy and great now? No? Well, then it's time to add something else to your routine. Baby steps are great, but notice it's plural....stepS. What's next? What's your next "one thing"?
I'm so glad you asked! I have a few suggestions.....