WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN IT ALL BECOMES TOO MUCH?
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS IN YOU ARE GETTING OVERWHELMED?
HOW DO YOU FIT YOUR SELF-CARE INTO YOUR LIFE?
My self-care needs top my list these days, but in the past this wasn't the case at all. I use to prioritise my family's needs before my own, and if you know me well, you would have seen me in action. The problem though, was I would put everybody’s needs before my own – This was by no means their fault either, I had not set any boundaries around this and so everyone knew they could come to me 24/7.
Now this can wear a girl down over time, and as I was meeting everybody else needs, my own self care needs got simply fell to the bottom of my "to do" list and earnt a permanent spot there.
“THE KEY IS NOT TO PRIORITIZE WHAT IS ON YOUR SCHEDULE,
BUT TO SCHEDULE YOUR PRIORITIES.”
I was getting it all wrong, yet, I thought I was doing the right thing. I had NO energy and I was easily triggered, and no wonder, I’d stopped taking care of ME! The one person I spend 24/7 a day with and I was looking after everybody else like they were more important than ME and running on empty!
One day it dawned on me, that HEY I’m actually deserving of the putting time into myself, in fact, I’m actually deserving of putting the same amount of time I put into others, into my own SELF CARE! Now this may seem like a big stretch for you, but this is the shove I needed and to manage my own situation and it worked. I'm an "ALL IN" type of person, and if I was going to do this, I was going to do this properly.
Now, I’m going to ask you to spend a minute thinking about how much time
you spend looking after everybody around you?
How much time do you spend looking after your own needs?
Who are you devoting the most of your energy to?
Your self care matters and I know that when I schedule my priorities, rather than prioritize my schedule, I feel so much better. I’m a much nicer person to be around and I’m able to give to my loved ones from a full heart space. In fact, just before I sat down to type this blog, I decided to have a nap on our lounge because I was feeling tired. My mind fought it, but I know better, and so I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep for an hour or so to give myself permission to slow down.
Now, If you do prioritize your self care needs, how topped up are you feeling right now? Are you doing enough, to fill your bucket? If your answer is NO, then KUDOS to your sister, you’re doing an amazing job taking care of yourself and I’m super impressed.
If you do feel like you can do a little more for yourself, then, perhaps now is the time to get started. I mean RIGHT NOW! Even taking the time to read my BLOG, is taking time for yourself, so well done, and hopefully you can make it to the end without being disrupted.
BELOW ARE MY TIPS FOR PRIORITIZING YOURSELF AND
MAKING IT WORK IN YOUR LIFE!
CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF FIRST
What nourishment do I need today?
Have I had FUN today?
Have I carved out time for ME today?
TEAMWORK
Who is on your team?
Who can you ask to help you?
IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO NURTURE A MUM TOO!
Surround yourself with people who are willing to support you.
COMMUNICATION
Let people know what you need so they can help you.
Give yourself permission to be helped.
Communication openly and honestly.
Release the need to be everything to everyone.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Work out how you are spending your time on a daily basis.
Can you find little pockets in your day to carve out for yourself?
Schedule your self care time like you schedule your other commitments.
What can you drop off your to-do list to create time for you?
OUTSOURCE
What can you get help with? i.e. cleaning, gardening, paperwork, babysitting
HONOUR YOUR NEEDS
Learn how to say “NO” if it doesn’t feel right for you.
Tune in and ask yourself what you need from moment to moment.
When you fill your bucket, it allows you to give to more to your loved ones.
Your intuition is always guiding you, are you listening?
Give yourself permission to slow down.
REPEAT AFTER ME - I AM WORTHY! I AM WORTHY! I AM WORTHY!