Why We Don’t Practice Self-Care
“You don’t have control over the BIG stuff. The stuff life throws at you when you aren’t looking. The HARD stuff.”
Here it is, the number 1 reason I see that women don’t practice self-care: It all comes down to control… We don’t want to lose it.
As humans, we long to be in control of our lives, our story, our families, our careers, our relationships, our health, our goals... Even more specifically, as women, we tend to feel the pressure to keep our families and lives structured and in control.
We unconsciously operate under the belief that if we take some time “off” or take a tiMEout (ME time), things will fall apart (insert: guilt).
Our families won’t function without us.
Our homes will fall into clutter and despair.
Our coworkers won’t be able to perform without us.
Our health journey will fail if we take a day off.
Our life/career/business goals will never be met if we take a break… The list goes on.
Do you see what’s happening here? When we live this way, we are operating out of fear. Fear of not having enough, not being enough… Fear that puts ALL of the burden of our family, career, health, friendships, etc. solely on us. We are relying completely and fully on ourselves and our abilities. And if we do that, OF COURSE we are going to be exhausted and unwilling to take a tiMEout.
But here’s the deal, sis: You’re not in control anyway… Yeah, I said it.
Sure, you have control over your daily choices, how you spend your time, the effort you put in, what you’re going to eat for dinner… But you don’t have control over the BIG stuff. The stuff life throws at you when you’re not looking. The HARD stuff. And guess what? Micromanaging and trying to control every tiny detail of your life (and those around you) isn’t going to prevent it, either.
I know, it’s not fluffy and fun to hear. BUT... (there’s always a BUT!)
BUTTTTT… maybe instead of living out of the fear of not truly being in control of your life, you will gain a sense of FREEDOM. The freedom and peace you need to take a tiMEout and take care of yourself.
Here’s the truth:
Your family isn’t going to fall apart if you take an hour break to go get a mani/pedi or a massage.
Your career isn’t going to end if you put your email and laptop away after dinner.
You aren’t quitting on your health goals if you skip the gym once in a while.
Your business isn’t going to go under because you took a vacation.
It’s time to stop living under the facade of control and in the grips of fear. You are not operating in your BEST when you’re operating in fear and control. You deserve to be living a life of FREEDOM.
I’ll be sharing some more practical self-care tips & EASY, inexpensive ways to make time for YOU. In the meantime, find a chunk of time this week (yes, go look at your planner right now!) to do just that. Carve out an hour or two for yourself and block it out in your calendar… tiMEout. You deserve it, and you need it.
