Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Be good to yourself

Often, we get so caught up in our lives that we go through the motions without stopping and devoting any time to ourselves.  I can think of a lot of fabulous women and men who are so busy taking care of their jobs, their families, their friends and their lives that they don't have time left over for themselves. 

It can be hard to stop and do something nice for yourself- but we all need to do it.  I remember a time in the not so distant past where I would give myself two hours a week to be pampered.  On alternating weeks I would have a mani/pedi and the other week would be hair.  Fast forward to today and it has been- I am ashamed to admit- 16 months since my last hair cut.  I recently went to have a pedi because I could NOT bring myself to go to Florida without it.  I realized while sitting in the chair that it has been since last summer that I had indulged in that as well.  Time has obviously gotten away from me and I have been so busy with life in general that I let those things go.  Are they essential in life- no, but I really enjoy them.  When I am in the chair letting someone else take care of me I can fully relax and just enjoy the experience. 

It may sound silly, but I find that when I do something like schedule some salon time, I feel better about myself.  It's not even remotely about how I look when I come out- it's about taking the time to do something that is just for me.  It's about telling myself that I deserve some pampering and that I am worth the time and attention that I am paying to myself.  I feel the same way when I take a day and wander through a museum with a like-minded friend or go to an outdoor cafe and sit with my feet up, sipping a nice macchiato, watching people and writing down my impressions or reading a great book.  It indulges that place inside me that has nothing to do with responsibilites and everything to do with pleasure.  It feeds that peaceful, quiet place in my soul. 

The question that begs to be asked is- if it is so "good" for me, why do I not indulge more often?  The answer is simple.  Like so many others, I fall into the trap of putting myself- or rather my indulgences last.  I enjoy devoting my time to my husband, my pups, my family, my work and other responsibilites; I just let myself get caught up in everything else in the process.  Don't get me wrong- I love my life, I just feel like something is missing- and that something is taking care of the part of my life that goes beyond my health. 

In order to correct that I am giving myself April.  The whole month I am going to make it a point to do things that I enjoy because I enjoy them.  I am going to be as good to myself as I would a friend.  I am going to schedule in "me" time the same way I would a meeting and make it as much a priority.  I am going to do this because I AM worth it- and so are YOU!  I hope that you will join me, even if for an hour, in giving yourself the gift of "you time" this month.  You may find that it reminds you just how many blessings you have in your life and you will most assuredly be grateful that you did. 

2 comments:

Living It, Loving It said...

I used to feel guilty about my "me too" but I have learned that I deserve it so I stopped feeling guilty. I don't get "me time" often, but when I do I enjoy it (Without guilt).

Jules0705 said...

I think the guilt thing is what holds us all back. Once we can release it- we are better off.