"If women were convinced that a day off or an hour of solitude was a reasonable ambition, they would find a way of attaining it. As it is, they feel so unjustified in their demand that they rarely make the attempt." -- Ann Morrow Lindberg
Okay all you Super Moms and Super Women out there. Listen up because I have a news flash for you. You are allowed time off for good behavior, I promise. That nurturer, server thing is so ingrained in us that the last person you think about is yourself. You take time for everyone and everything else in your life including the family pets. It's time to take the "ME" out of the word "TIME" and say YES to looking after you especially since the kids will be out of school shortly!
Being a recovering martyr and caretaker, I have to remind myself once in awhile (not as much anymore), that I am worth it. I've learned that if you keep giving all of YOU away to others, there won't be anything left to give. Trust me. I know I have been there, done that, and got the t-shirt.
Some of you may be thinking, "Yeah right, Cookie, I don't have time." We all get the same 24 hours in every day, and I know you might be saying that you don't have time to look after yourself, and do you know what that is? It's because you are too busy doing for others! Your time management needs to include some "me" time!
Ask yourself this question: is it really about time managementor is it that you don't feel justified in your demand? For me, even though it was just me, a single parent with two children, at first I felt like I had to justify my action to others to make it okay to schedule some quality 'me' time so I wouldn't feel guilty. Hey, Super Mom, could this be you?
You have to make time for yourself, as in schedule it. It's not like I'm asking you to leave home or abdicate from the throne. This time could be just for a few hours at first and then later maybe schedule a whole day off as you get used to the idea of 'me' time. This is a necessary part of your overall wellbeing and ability to do big things in the world.
Here's a suggestion for you. Start off small. Decide when you'll take an hour off, decide what day you're going to do this, and schedule it on your family calendar. Then go ahead and make the arrangements for what you want to do in that single hour. Tell a friend about your intentions just to keep you honest, and then enjoy every delicious minute of that time.
For those of you that do use time management to get some solitude occasionally, I acknowledge you. For those of you who don't, it's time to get started. None of us know how much time we're going to get to spend on this earth, so lighten up a bit and learn to take care of YOU. After all, you wouldn't want to miss out on your life, would you?
