Taking Care of Ourselves

Many of the women I know have too much to do and too little time. As a result, they struggle to make time to take care of themselves. In fact, self-care activities are often last on their to-do list.

Here are three tips to help you make your health a top priority in your life.

1. Shift Your Story

Anytime we fly on an airplane we hear the same directions, “Place your oxygen mask on yourself first, before helping anyone else.”  This example is analogous to many other areas of our lives; we must first take care of ourselves, to be able to properly care for others. When we struggle to create time for healthy behaviors in our lives, we can remember that by taking appropriate care of our health we fill up our emotional and physical reserves, and thus, we have more energy to give to the people that we love.

2. Keep Your Appointments with Yourself

Schedule healthy appointments with yourself such as workouts, meal prep, or meditation time, and treat them like nonnegotiable meetings. Put them in your calendar and work your life around these appointments, instead of trying to work these appointments into your busy life. Creating a schedule can help us to be more accountable to ourselves and a healthy lifestyle.

3. Find Healthcare Providers That You Love

We are much more likely to continue to engage in a behavior if it feels good. If we want to continue to incorporate healthy activities in our lives it is important to find providers that we really enjoy. Whether it is your dentist, your trainer, or your therapist, making sure that you feel connected to your provider will increase your likelihood of regularly attending your appointments.


Written by Tiffany Louise, LCSW