I was listening to a podcast from “The Mid Life Festival” and one of the speakers commented that Generation X women say yes to everything. It’s a massive stereotype but I felt some resonance in the comment. I have learned to say NO more often! Perhaps you are your family’s/team’s MVP and if you don’t take care of yourself, it isn’t fair to them. It is alot of pressure but you need to be happy if you expect them to be happy. You need to show emotional control if you expect them to do the same.
Many people, especially parents, feel slightly guilty about taking care of themselves and not making time for self-care. There is often a need though to slow down, rest and get some sense of peace in your own life. Taking a step back isn’t always possible for everyone but can we really feel sane with a full time job, maybe managing children, running a house etc. etc. If we can take a moment to think to ourselves:-
What can I remove from my life to make me feel like I can cope?
What can I do in my life that can make me feel better?
Just really small things like drinking more water, moving more and stretching. Our lives should be a blend and not a juggle and we need to learn to ask for help and slow down and step back a bit.
It is easy to get up half an hour earlier and carve out the time for yourself to do things such as swimming, strength training and something mentally that helps you whether that is mediation or mindfulness. There are apps such as Clementine which is a hypnotherapy app. You can lie down, listen to a 6 minute session which will boost your confidence and your mood. Surely, we can find 6 minutes? What matters are the small steps. What small steps can you take today. What small steps can you encourage your team to take?