Anne Louise
This morning I decided to put myself first. I decided to go workout and not spend the morning with my boys. I wasn’t home last weekend so I felt I should stay with them. The kids hadn’t seen me at all last weekend and it is limited how much time we spend together during the week. So when Saturday morning approached I thought it would be best to stay home and spend the morning with them. But then I started asking myself – best for whom? Best for me or the kids?
The kids would be home with their dad so they would be fine and we would spend the rest of the day together when I came back anyway. So really, who was I staying home for?
I decided to ditch all the good excuses for not exercising (I had a lot of excuses!!) and actually go!
I went to the gym and I felt quite guilty. Could I really just take time for myself like that? I felt really selfish to be quite honest!
The rest of the day went by and during the evening I was reflecting on the day that had past. I stopped for a moment to thank myself. Thanking myself for actually taking time to do something for myself! Why? Because I felt wonderful and I ended up having a really great day!
It was not a special day. We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. We had lunch with my in laws and I makde pancakes with the older one while the little one was napping. Pretty usual for our weekends. The difference was, I felt good and I was happy. I had more energy and I felt good about my body – which you do when you exercise 😉 And like this I could be a happier mom to my children, a happier partner to the husband. Win-win!
Next time I feel selfish for taking time for myself I will remember this day and know that I am doing it for the greater good and that it is far from selfish to take time for yourself!
What can YOU do to take some time for yourself? What are your excuses for not doing it? Let me know in the comments below!
It can be really hard to chose to put ourself first. It feels selfish, but it is really not. In the airplanes we are asked to put our own oxygen mask on BEFORE we help our children. Instinctively, this seems all wrong, but when we think about the reality, it is really hard to help our child if we are passed out – quite impossible actually.
You can’t pour from an empty cup – it’s the same thing! We need to take care of ourself so we can take better care of others. I strongly believe we become better people, better colleagues, better partners, better parents when we start taking better care of ourselves. Imagine I hadn’t gone to work out. I would maybe resent my family (actually resenting myself) because I wouldn’t feel good about myself. Then the entire day and probably weekend would have sucked!