Toronto Girl West

Tonight, I arrived home later than usual . . . stumbled in the door, hastily dropped my gym bag, yoga mat, and purse in the hallway, before bending down to kiss Daisy.

Usually, our “honey I’m home” greetings last a couple of minutes but tonight I was tired and let her kiss me only once before dragging my feet towards the bedroom. Quickly I yanked off my suit jacket and kicked off my shoes before collapsing on the bed in a not so delicate fashion.

I felt exhausted. Not because today had been a particularly hard day but rather because I had been neglecting me and was reaching my burn out point.

You see, I’m the kind of girl that often puts other people and my work ahead of myself. Take the last week for instance, sure I have been dealing with particularly involved files but did that really justify not eating at all on several days? The short answer is NO.

The world would not have fallen apart if I had eaten an apple or downed a yogurt. My submissions would not have been weaker because I took 10 minutes out to nourish my body – quite the contrary. And yet there I was, working non-stop. Arriving early. Leaving late. And taking work home.

Sure, my career is important but so am I. And so are YOU!

For me, this week it was about work taking a toll. But for you it might be running yourself ragged dealing with the little ones. Or even tending to a dear one in a crisis.

What I realized tonight was that it all boils down to this: If I’ve neglected myself and I’m running on empty, how can I possibly have anything left over to give my career or those I love!?!?

And so I’m making it a point to take that extra time every day for me. To wake up early and get in a work out before anything else has a chance to get in the way. To eat healthy and fuel my body. To pray a little bit more each day. To move myself to the front of the line.

If you’d like to join me in making this commitment to yourself, tweet about your recommitment to yourself with the hashtag #PutYourselfFirst

As for my first attempt to put myself first? I’m taking this Friday off and turning my three day long weekend into a four day one! Because let’s face it, work will still be there come Tuesday!

Question: Do you have a problem with remembering to put yourself first? How do you carve out time for yourself?

{ 2 comments }