You matter, You are important, You are sensational, You are worth your time too.
Too many times I see a person that is rocking life, doing all the things, taking care of all the things, making everything easy, making everything happen.......for EVERYONE else.
“It is okay to look after yourself. Never feel guilty!! Even the newest cars have to go in for scheduled maintenance.”
So continue to do all the things and be the superman or woman that you are but schedule yourself in each day! You deserve it!!
Taking the time.
Many don't even think about it they have just fallen into the many daily tasks and have lost all thought and hope of doing the things they once used to do or have always wanted to do. We get so caught up in our daily lives of work, kids, lunches, school, homework, dinner that we forget about our own needs. Maybe its not the fact we actually forget - we don't think there is any time left over at the end of it all to take. Well that's just it we don't have time because we don't make the time. I started by "walking the dogs". At the end of my busy day I just needed to unwind, be alone with my thoughts and just recharge. So I started taking the dogs out after dinner and going for a walk. It started with just twenty minutes and the dogs truly did need to get out. I would tell myself that I had to walk them and therefore scheduled it in every night at a certain time. I felt that because I was doing something that needed to be done it made it okay and I was allowed to take the time to do it. I felt guilty otherwise. But why? Why is it that we feel so guilty?
Why we shouldn't feel guilty.
You can't get water from an empty stream. You can't pour from an empty cup. This is widely quoted yet still needs to be said over and over as so many people don't think it matters right now. Truth is the stream has plenty water in it and when it needs it someday then I will deal with it then. As it flows with nothing replenishing it, it does eventually empty and it is much harder to get the dry cracked dirt to hold any water. Soon the dryness continues all the way back to the source leaving nothing to take from. If you add a little each day then the stream stays full and flows in turn keeping everything nourished around it.
"Find out how much time you need. Schedule it in your day. Take it!"
There are many ways to find time in your day. Be creative, cut things out that are not befitting you, or simply get up 20 minutes earlier. When I started looking for "extra time" in my day I took a week and each day I wrote down the things I did and how long it took me to do them. Kind of like a time diary. I knew this would work for me because I had already done a similar list when I was gaining weight and couldn't figure out why...there is nothing more clarifying then the the truth written by your own pen. You may be shocked at how much extra time you could have if you cut back on the amount of television or social media you consume or chatting after work. At the end of the week I came up with a plan and I made a promise to myself to commit to it for a month. I committed to get up at the same time every morning. Even on a day off I set my alarm and got up at the same time. I allotted myself certain times to check social media and emails but I also made myself a promise of no technology for at least an hour after I woke up. I created daily and weekly practices, then committed in writing for 30 days. After the thirty days most things were a habit and I didn't need reminding. They also became a habit to my family and it was familiar to them and they knew what to expect from me and when to not expect anything.
At the end of the 30 days you should feel more vibrant, organized, ready to take on each day with more energy. If not then go back and see what needs to be changed. It is not a one time process, it takes work and perseverance, but it is so worth it in the end. You are worth it!!