You Take Care of Everyone Else. When Do You Get Added to the List?
Women are really good at noticing when everyone else needs something.
Someone hasn't eaten? We notice and turn on the oven.
A family member mentions an appointment they need to make? We write it down, remind them, or make it for them if need be.
The people we love aren't feeling well? Suddenly we're asking questions, looking things up, and making sure they actually do what they're supposed to do.
Meanwhile, our own bodies can practically submit a formal written complaint and we'll respond with, "I'll deal with that next week." Or the equally popular, "I'll get to it."
Next week turns into next month.
That doctor's appointment stays on the list. Exercise gets pushed aside because something else feels more urgent. Sleep becomes negotiable.
Meals? Whatever is convenient, especially if no one else is around.
Rest gets saved for when everything is finished, which is interesting considering everything is never finished.
Somewhere along the way, taking care of ourselves became the thing we do after we've taken care of everyone and everything else.
That's a problem.
We spend a lot of time talking about the lives we're trying to create.
Career goals.
Financial goals.
Trips we want to take.
Businesses we'd like to grow.
Experiences we still want to have.
Yet the body that's supposed to carry us through all of those plans sometimes gets treated like an afterthought.
I've started looking at self-care differently because of that.
It's not just massages, vacations, candles, or reading a good book. I love all of those things, by the way.
Real self-care also looks incredibly ordinary.
Going to the appointment you've been putting off.
Moving your body because you want it to remain strong.
Paying attention when something hurts instead of automatically deciding it'll probably go away.
Getting enough sleep.
Drinking the water.
Making choices today that your future self might actually appreciate.
None of it is particularly glamorous.
All of it matters.
We Give Other People Grace We Don't Give Ourselves
Here's another part we don't talk about enough.
Taking care of your body doesn't require suddenly becoming the picture of perfect health.
You don't have to overhaul your entire life on Monday morning.
Haven't exercised consistently in years? I'm certainly not going to tell you to suddenly work out seven days a week for an hour a day. Most people just starting out aren't going to stick to that.
Start where you are. Even if that means ten minutes a day a couple of times this week.
Perhaps your eating habits could use some attention. Instead of jumping into a calorie deficit so aggressive that you're ready to quit by next Tuesday, start smaller. Change one thing.
That health reminder that's been sitting on your mental to-do list for six months?
Make the appointment.
Small choices count.
We've gotten so accustomed to dramatic before-and-after stories that sometimes we forget there's an entire life happening in between.
That's where most of us actually live.
Put Yourself on Your Own Calendar
I've always found it interesting that we'll schedule meetings, appointments, errands, lunches, and obligations for everyone else without thinking twice. We'll rearrange our entire day to make it work.
Try blocking an hour for ourselves and suddenly we're negotiating with the calendar.
"Well, I could move my workout because I really should..."
No.
Every available space in your life doesn't have to belong to someone else.
Taking care of yourself isn't something you earn after being productive enough. Your health isn't the reward for finally finishing the to-do list.
It needs to be somewhere near the top of it.
Because the goal isn't simply to build a beautiful life.
I'd like to be healthy enough to actually enjoy mine.
And I have a feeling I'm not the only one who needs that reminder.
Question for you...
What's one thing you've been putting off when it comes to taking care of yourself?
Not the complete life overhaul.
Just one thing.
Maybe that's where you start.
