Mums! It is time to make yourself Priority # 1. Selfish? NO. Practical? YES!
Just think about it a minute. While you are running around being mum, wife/partner/single, cook, cleaner, taxi, encyclopedia, dictionary, nurse, psychologist, referee, employee or business owner, who is looking after you? You are the only one who can, 24/7 – if you so choose. When you look after yourself first, that is, make yourself priority, in an altruistic way, you are in peak condition and therefore so much better equipped to look after everyone else. The thing is, that if you don’t look after yourself and fall down in a crumbling heap, everyone else suffers too.
If you are feeling overwhelmed and undervalued, taken for granted or just plain exhausted, it is often because you have not placed enough value on yourself. If you don’t value yourself, why should others? We value what is important to us, so why do mums put so man y other things before themselves. “Oh, I’m exhausted! I’ll just do the dishes …” What is more important – sleep or the dishes.
When you are exhausted and not getting your own needs met, resentment can pop up. “Why should I bend over backwards (as we often do) to do this for you, when I can’t even go to the bathroom uninterrupted?” Being of service to our loved ones, begrudgingly, can eat us away from the inside and is not a pleasant way to be living.
So, make yourself Priority #1 today, take care of your health – mind, body and spirit, get support and honour yourself. Align your values, that it, what is important to you, with your actions. When you are torn between choices or not feeling like willingly participating in something, ask yourself “What is important to me here?” and go with the option that meets your needs. You want your kids to learn how to look after themselves – lead by example!
Embrace change now to create your ultimate lifestyle.
