As a member of a family, your own needs are often put behind everyone else. This can mean that you are helping make lunches for the kids in the morning, and therefore you skip breakfast. In addition, you don't even have time to make your own healthy lunch, so you grab a sandwich and chips at the deli down the street. This costs you your pocketbook, but also the calories and nutrition you need to have energy and clarity of mind throughout the day.
As a working mom previously and as stay-at-home mom currently, I thought it was my job to make sure everyone else was taken care of ahead of my own. I should be putting everyone else's needs as priority. Isn't that how we are as women? Self sacrifice is a good measure of doing our best for our families?
I have been staying home for almost three years, and it took me almost a year to figure out that I can't just sacrifice sacrifice sacrifice. I can't let myself and my own needs go without letting a piece of myself die a little bit every day.
I have learned a couple important lessons:
1. Live life in balance. You need to take time to move physically; you need to take time for your spiritual growth and health; you need to take time for mental health (quiet time, learning, or time doing an activity that is about you).
2. Life is a journey not a sprint. Take the time to build toward a goal (ex. join a 16 week program to running a 5K or commit to yourself to go to a yoga class once a week for three months). Goals take time to achieve. If they didn't, you couldn't call them a goal.
3. Live all areas of life in moderation (food, exercise, socialization, work, etc).
Don't forget about yourself. You will be a better person, employee, friend, mother, sister, wife, etc.... if you take the time to take care of yourself and body.
What do you do to balance yourself?
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