Health & Fitness
Have You Been Neglecting Yourself?
Are there some areas of your life that need more attention from you? Here are some suggestions to get you moving forward.
It was one year ago that I wrote an article for my online newsletter that I called “Stop Letting Everyone Cut in Front of You.” If you’re interested you can see that article on my blog. A year later, after walking my talk, here’s the evolution of that article.
“Those who think they have no time for healthy eating will
sooner or later have to find time for illness.” ~ Edward Stanley
Are your children involved in lessons and activities that you make the time to take them to, while you miss another week of yoga class or the gym? Do you have the money for their activities but don’t believe that you have it to spend when it’s something that you want to do for yourself? When is the last time you had a massage or a facial? Or even more basic, how often do you get to wash your face and brush your teeth at night without being disturbed?
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Is there something that you’ve wanted to do for yourself for so long, something simple that will improve the quality of your life, your health or just make you happy? Before you know it, weeks, months and maybe even years have gone by and whatever it is you still haven’t made it happen for yourself. Why aren’t you willing to invest the time or money when it’s for YOUR health, happiness and wellbeing instead of someone else’s? Does this sound familiar to you?
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that I am talking to myself and not just to you in this article. As a busy working parent, I get it and constantly have to remind myself that I matter and that I need to take care of me too. We need to invest in ourselves so that we can give to others and even when we know this, we often don’t act on it. By investing in yourself, you are not being selfish. And by putting other people first, to the exclusion of your needs, it may not even serve them in the end. Did you ever hear the expression “if mama ain’t happy ain’t no one happy” or have you been on an airplane and been told to put your own oxygen mask on before helping your child.
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Life is complex and when our lives are rich and full it can be even more complex. There are so many things that are worthy of our time and attention.
So how can you focus on our own wellbeing? Here are some tips to help you:
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Make a decision: This is an essential step for any change or transformation. You decide that you want something to be different and you commit to making it different. You don’t even need to know how that will happen in that moment of decision. You just have to decide that it will happen. Think about this and you’ll realize that it’s true for just about everything in our lives. One example would be weight loss. Lots of methods might work but none of them will until you commit to the decision to lose weight. There are many other examples that I can give. In this case, it may be that you need to decide that you and your needs matter. If you want to talk with me about this, send me an email.
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Make sure that you have the food in the house that you enjoy and will support you through the day. Food is essential for us to live. It also gives us pleasure. How often do you go to the store and buy everything you need for your kid’s lunch and snacks and don’t focus on what you enjoy or what will support you? Do you leave your house without breakfast? Do you have enough energy throughout the day? Are you within range of the weight that works for you? How often do you take the time to focus on your nutritional needs or make a meal that you love? Do you even know how to begin? Take the time to be prepared to have food on hand for you.
Make plans to meet a friend for a meal. Pick a place that you love, where can choose a meal that you feel good about eating and make time to enjoy the company of a friend. Really take time to share what’s going on for you and listen to what’s going on with them. When we are busy, it’s really easy to lose touch with ourselves and the people we care about most.
Find a form of physical activity that you enjoy: I can’t overstate the importance of this. Having once had it, then losing it and now getting it back, I can’t emphasize the need for this too strongly. If you don’t already agree, please trust me. Once you get started, you will feel and see the changes on the inside and outside of you. If you want to brainstorm about what’s possible and might be fun, send me an email.
Set aside some quiet time each day: This can be in the form of meditation or reflective practice or it can just be a few minutes where you stop and sit quietly each day. You can even do this during your meal time if you can find a quiet place to be alone. So many of us keep going, going, going from the time we get up until the time we go to bed. Taking a few minutes each day has benefits for our health and wellbeing. If you’d like to know more about how to incorporate this into your life send me an email.
Make sure that you have a supportive community: Seek out like-minded people in your life who support your growth, development, wellness and happiness. This can be friends, coaches, trainers, family members, health care providers or anyone in your community. Just know that you have people to support you when you need it and people whose company fosters your happiness and growth.
Make a decision to do something that you’ve wanted to do for you. Maybe you want to learn a new language or take some cooking lessons, maybe you want to learn digital photography or to get a massage. Maybe you want to get back into something that was once important to you. You have said at some point that you will do it. Take one small step and make it happen. Go ahead and do it now!
These are just some ideas to get you thinking about the areas of your life that might need some time and attention from you and some suggestions to get you started. I am more than happy to talk with you about the specifics of your life. Just send me an email and we can set up a time to talk and please, stop letting everyone cut in front of you or you will never get to your place in line.
