Never Any Me Time

If I knew what motherhood, marriage, and working for living was really like as a teen I would have been dragging my feet on the path to adulthood. But no matter what you know or don't, life simply happens. You get a job, you fall in love and get married. You are blessed with a child or children. What was once your life to live becomes a life lived for those you love. You wake up for night feedings, clean up spilled juice, and become a taxi driver. You try to squeeze in date nights, yoga class, and all those appointments. At the end of the day you're tired. And sometimes you wake up feeling tired. There seems to be little to no time for yourself anymore. Does this sound familiar?

When I was 19 I took every Thursday to pamper myself. It was my personal spa day. I would give myself a mini facial. I washed my face, exfoliated, and used a face mask of some sort. And after wards I always felt like a million bucks. Something so simple made me feel great every time. But after I got married this Thursday ritual faded out. And after my daughter was born it was almost non existent. It wasn't until my daughter was about 11 or 12 that I would off and on buy a facial mask from my local drugstore and give myself my mini facial again. And it still gave me that good feeling.

But my me time would be put on the back burner. Life got hectic again. My mother moved in with us and her cancer doubled back on her. I was now a wife, mother, and caregiver. I was working from home at this time and struggling to keep myself together. I was stressed. I stopped working out, my here and there facials were gone. And I was simply walking through each day numb. I started packing on the pounds and feeling terrible. Then I lost my mother to cancer and grieving for me was a strange process, packed with sorrow and guilt. A few years later my family would be dealing with more stresses, strains, and an emergency move to a new town. Still no me time. I was focused on being supportive and strong for my family and I felt that there was no sense of self.

It has been two years and life has begin to find some balance. I started working out, eating better, and those lovely mini facials might only be once or twice a month, but were coming back. My husband and my daughter joined in. And they even request a family spa night. Nothing fancy. Facials and a movie usually. But they feel so good. This made me think, why is it that we stop caring for ourselves when we take care of others? I can hear the flight attendant speech about how you have to put the oxygen mask on yourself before your child so that you can care for them. You don't put the mask on the child then yourself, as you might pass out and not be able to care for your child. So why don't we take care of ourselves in order to care for those we love.

Take time for yourself. Even a quick walk around your block, drinking a glass of water while sitting down, enjoying a simple five minute face mask can refresh you. You have to take some time for yourself no matter how small that time is. You deserve it. You need it. It refreshes you physically and emotionally. I have rediscovered my me time.And it has made a world of difference. I recently started using Perfectly Posh pampering products. Naturally based face masks, scrubs, body butters, etc. One of their quotes is "Today do one little thing to better take care of yourself (then repeat tomorrow)". I love this. The message stuck with me and now I am an independent consultant and telling others about treating themselves to a little me time. Because it is important and you do deserve it. Have you done something good for yourself today? Please do. Then do something else for yourself tomorrow. Be it big or small. It's not being selfish, it's taking care of you.