“I wish there were more hours in the day!”
“Life is so busy right now; I don’t have time!”
Sound familiar? In my nutrition practice, I hear these statements A LOT! Honestly, I have heard myself say them! With work and family responsibilities, parent- ‘ubering’ to extracurricular activities, cooking, cleaning, laundry etc. it feels like there is no time to focus on ourselves.
If you are like me, you think about the millions of things you feel must get done and your heart rate goes up. A slight panic starts to build, and your next thought becomes “I can’t…” or “I will never be able to…” As those thoughts intensify, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You don’t complete the task or find the time. Something has to give, and usually it is your own self-care that takes a back seat. You’ll get to yourself tomorrow, or when the project is over, or when the kids get a little older. Unfortunately, there is always something new that pushes you a little further back.
But I ask you: If your tank is empty, how can you
- be the best Mom?
- do your best at work?
- be a reliable caregiver, coach or colleague?
When your health deteriorates, your mind isn’t as sharp; your energy levels are low; your temper is short; your concentration wanes. When you are unhappy in your body, you want to hide; you’re distracted by thoughts of what others may be thinking of you. When you give up on you, you are telling the world that you don’t see yourself as important and eventually the world thinks the same.
So, what can you do when it seems like there just isn’t time for one more thing? Think smaller!
You don’t need an hour to go to the gym; you need an extra 3 minutes to take the stairs instead of the elevator. You don’t need 2 hours to go food shopping; you need 20 minutes on one day to plan out your meals for the week and update your shop-from-home account and another 20 minutes on another day to swing by the grocers to pick it up. You don’t have to tediously track every calorie you put in your mouth, you can spend a few minutes mindfully reflecting on your hunger, savoring each bite and focusing on your fullness level.
You are worth the time!
