WHY I TAKE TIME FOR ME AND YOU SHOULD TOO

Between being a mom, running a business and taking care of a household, life can get busy.

The problem is though if I do not take time for me, I quickly start to feel burnt out.

I used to make excuses to not make myself a priority, after all giving myself permission to take a break is giving up, isn’t it?

The truth is though, it isn’t giving up. In fact, it is taking charge.

WHY I TAKE TIME FOR ME AND YOU SHOULD TOO

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You see, I was once of the mindset that doing something that is solely for me was selfish.

I used to think that spending time relaxing in a bubble bath, reading a book was sending some kind of negative message to my family.

I was under the impression that allowing myself any kind of freedom and joy outside of my life as a mom was simply wrong. I used to make excuses that there were not enough hours in the day.

After all, I was busy raising children, cleaning the house, scavenging for clothes through what seemed like never-ending baskets of laundry that needed to be folded, working and being a wife to my husband.

Where was this time for me that I was supposed to be taking and why in the world would I want to take it?

I must be selfish, I thought.

Then one day something happened.

I started feeling so run down that I was unsure that I could carry on the way things had been going.

As I stared at my calendar full of events that I just couldn’t say no to participating in, I got this overwhelming feeling of dread.

Why had I agreed to all these things?

How in the world was I possibly going to make 80 cupcakes for the kids’ classes AND still find time to take them to their extracurricular activities?

This is when I realized that my constant feelings of being rushed, stressed and losing myself, were my fault.

I had refused myself any downtime and now I was burning out.

This is the day I made some phone calls to cancel a few things I just knew I couldn’t participate in, bought 80 cupcakes, took the kids to their extracurriculars and came home to some free time at the end of the day.

I put the kids to bed, grabbed a good book that I hadn’t read in ages, ran an Epsom salt bath and sunk in with a deep relaxed sigh.

After that bath, I decided to paint my toenails and French braid my hair while drinking a cup of warm chamomile tea in bed.

I felt so relaxed. I had forgotten what it had felt like to take care of myself.

The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed.

I looked down at my pretty fuchsia toenails and was reminded that I too deserve to be cared for. I felt a new vigor I hadn’t felt in a long time.

All the excuses to overload my schedule melted away.

The guilt I once felt for wanting time to myself dissipated, and I emerged a new woman.

A new mother with more patience and joy than before.

I have since learned to say no to obligations that I know will overload my schedule and make sure to take time for me as often as possible.

My family doesn’t feel neglected as I once thought they would.

In fact, they are grateful that I am healthier and happier and better able to manage the family.

After all, when I take care of myself, I am better equipped to take care of others.

While I thought I was doing a good job parenting before, and I was, I wasn’t doing an amazing job loving myself and self-love makes all the difference in the way you care for others, your mood and your overall health.

So, why do I take time for me?

Simply because I love my family and they deserve the best me I can be.