Put You First Without Feeling Guilty

There is nothing wrong with putting you first without feeling guilty.

Self-care should never take a back seat while you do other things. Self-care is important to your well-being. You may not realize just how important until you start skipping out on self-care. It is easy to make excuses about other things being more important, but you are important and taking care of you is IMPORTANT. You are worth whatever time you take to take care of you!

Believe it or not, when you take care of you it goes a long way in your ability to care for others. Most women are nurturers and have the need to do for others. Some more so than others. Some women just keep on giving and giving until there is nothing left for them.

And that is not good at all. If you are burnt out and frazzled and on edge, you cannot be help at all to anyone else.

And then what?

Nobody is getting what they need.

In the spirit of being transparent, I'll share my story. When I'm busy and moving and shaking, wheeling and dealing, my self-care is the first to go. But, not all at once. A little at a time. I barely notice that instead of my usual 2-3 times a week soak in the jacuzzi, It's strictly showers...and quick ones at that because I have things to do, places to be, and people to see. You know, I don't have time to sit in the tub reading and relaxing.

Next I'm skipping my workouts. Then my early morning meditation, and prayer time. It just continues until there is nothing left. I am just going and going. The final straw is that I become irritable and impatient. I snap at people and find fault with everything.

I used to skip my self-care on a regular basis a few years back. But now that I realize how important it is and more importantly what a monster I am when I miss it, that I make it a point to make sure I get it in.

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If you are honest with yourself, you will admit that when you are stressed and skipping self-care, you are not the most pleasant to be around. Feeling guilty when you take your time for you is just silly. Self-care is your responsibility. You owe it to yourself to take care of you. There are people depending on you to be the best you can be.

Take a few minutes to think about the things you like to do that relaxes you. When is the last time you did those things? Make a promise to yourself that starting right now you are going to take some time for you. I don't care if it is only five minutes of you sitting still and listening to one of your favorite songs. Do something. Below is a list of some of the things I like to do for self-care.

1. Meditate

2. Journal

3. Listen to music

4. Sit outside and look at the clouds

5. Take a nap during the day

6. Warm soak with candles and soft music

7. Do Nothing

8. Watch mindless television (I love old comedies)

9. Go shopping at Dollar Tree and go up and down each aisle.

10. Talk a walk

There are more things, but these are some of my favorites. I would love to hear from you about what you do for self-care.