Who’s First?

You’re a mom, a sister, a daughter, a wife, a grandmother, a friend, a niece. You’re a woman. And by nature, you’re a nurturer. You like to make sure everyone is taken care of. Make sure everyone is healthy, happy, and well-fed. Make sure the lunches are packed, the clothes are washed, the Facebook posts are written, the dry cleaning is picked up, the kids are tucked in for bed. The bills are paid, the flowers are watered, the dog is fed. The marketing is done, the dinner is made, the doctor’s appointments are made and kept. You meet your friend for lunch, you visit a sick aunt, you volunteer at school. You throw your best friend a surprise party, bake cookies for the annual bake sale, collect old clothes and shoes for donation to charity. And at the end of the day, you sit down and feel like something is still missing. What could it be?

You.

You forgot to take care of you.

You spend all of your time, thought, and effort taking care of others, that you forget to take care of the most important person. For if you do not take care of yourself, you will ultimately be no good to anyone else. You will be exhausted. You will burn out. You will become resentful.

It’s not selfish to take some time for yourself. It’s healthy. If you want to continue to be the wife, daughter, mother, sister, grandmother, friend, and auntie, then you have to put yourself first.

Everyday, take some time out and do something you enjoy.

• It could be in the form of a shower (that’s not rushed)
• a walk
• a phone call to a friend
• manicure
• massage
• journal 
• meditate
• read a book
• go to the movies
• garden
• take a hike
• go to the library
• Whatever makes you feel good.

You can devote as much time as you want to it. Some days you may be pressed for time. Those are the days you do something smaller for yourself, but still do something. Other days, you have more time and can do something more time and labor intensive. Mix it up. Enjoy every moment. You deserve it.

You have to come first.