Quit the Excuses and Find Time for Self Care

I’m just going to jump right in here.  This sh*t is hard.

You may be asking yourself, which part?  Raising kids? Being a supportive spouse?  Feeling guilty for not being able to provide everything you want for your kids?  Feeling like you’re not always operating to the best of your ability? 

Ummmm, yes, yes, yes and yes.

D: All of the Above

BUT, this is all the more reason to still find time for yourself.  And no, sitting on the potty doesn’t count. Someone will still find you there and before you know it, you’ll be talking through life’s greatest mysteries, like who took ______’s toy, why won’t ______ share, what kind of snacks do we have, why do we have to go to school, why don’t we ever do anything fun, what’s for dinner, where are the keys, etc.

Yup, all pressing stuff.

Before we can talk about solutions, let’s talk about the problem.  Why is it a problem to not have time for yourself?

You’ve probably ignored yourself for so long that you might think you’re actually the .000001% that can keep it all together without any “me time”.

And that may be true….until.

Until, something really insignificant happens and it lands you a first class seat on Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train.

I’m not the only one right?  

You’re on point for some deadlines at work, and putting in later hours.  You’re missing dinner times and maybe even bedtimes, but you’re reassuring yourself that an end is in sight.

You received some concerning news at a doctor appointment, but you’ve promised yourself you won’t Google it and you tell yourself that it’s probably nothing.

Your kids come down with a stomach bug which has you trying to work from home, hoping that the next bout of sickness happens after the next conference call ends.

You’re taking a shower, you grab the shampoo and with slippery hands, it falls to the floor, stubbing you on the toe.  And that when you totally lose your sh*t.

You’re not really crying about the stubbed toe though.  It was all that other stuff that you were trying to carry all on your own that did it.

So stop it.

This is why you need to carve out time for self care:

• You can only keep your poop together for so long
• You’ll feel better when you do – life won’t stop throwing stuff at you, but you’ll be in a better mindset to handle it
• Ummm, you’re freakin’ worth it – yes, you’re allowed to be intentionally selfish
• Your kids get more from you when you’re feeling even slightly refreshed
• Your husband will appreciate not having to guess what’s wrong with you – remember, these guys are more straightforward; guessing games are a recipe for disaster
• Give yourself time to listen…to yourself – with worrying about everyone else, do you even know where you stand with the important questions, like:

What is making you happy?

Is there anything you feel like you’re missing?

What is it that you really want to do?

You don’t have to have all the answers, but I can guarantee you won’t even get to one if you’re trying to master life’s questions while making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at the same time.

Have I convinced you even a little?  Let’s move on now to the how.