Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean me first, it means me too.
For the last few weeks as I have been working out our new family schedules and routines, this statement has frequently come to mind.
Perhaps you didn’t have someone in your life that modeled what it meant to take care of themselves.
Perhaps the message you received about being a mother was one of sacrifice, always giving and never receiving.
Perhaps you feel guilty for even wanting to do something that would take time, money, or energy from your family even if only for an hour or two.
What if you are thinking about this all wrong? Which is a possibility worth considering, and an exercise I highly recommend.
Is it possible that nurturing your interests, desires, and hobbies doesn’t subtract anything from anyone?
Is it possible that by pursuing passions and dreams the contribution you are able to make to your family/friends increases exponentially?
The math doesn’t make sense, I know it doesn’t.
Because it’s love, not math. Love for yourself.
You know how when you have your first child you can’t even imagine being able to love another baby as much as your first? (If you don’t have children, I imagine it works the same with pets too:-).
And then you have a second baby, and are amazed that your love doesn’t seem to be in limited supply. By some miracle your capacity to LOVE multiplied, and you weren’t even aware it happened.
Just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, you have some more kids and discover that your love doesn’t run out when you have more to share it with. It expands.
That is the way love works. When you receive it, share it, and give it – it grows!
When you take care of yourself, your capacity to care for everyone increases.
The world needs more love. Your family needs more love. Your marriage needs more love.
It has to start with you.
Don’t take my word for it, although I have lots of personal evidence to share.
Start your own experiment, and then let me know how it turns out!
