Following through on yourself

As women we naturally focus on others, it’s the nurturer in us. We are wives, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, employees, volunteers, etc., and with so many demands in our lives, we can lose sight of ourselves. We have a bucket that we dip out of daily for everyone and then we wonder why we feel depleted, overwhelmed, confused, frustrated, and even depressed.  It’s because we’ve given so much and have put ourselves on the back burner.

I am guilty myself of neglecting my own self-care. Yesterday I followed through with something I had put off for over two years.  I have canceled two appointments for a regular screening colonoscopy. Not because I was afraid of the procedure, although when the anesthesiologist mentioned I was getting the Michael Jackson drug I looked for the exit sign.  Seriously!  If it weren’t for that darn back-out gown I would have made a mad dash for the door. No, I canceled twice because of my work commitments, and each time I placed them over my own health. I felt guilty for being away from the office when I knew the procedure was necessary. I allowed that negative self-talk about how hard it was to step away from work for a day to creep in.

We’ve all heard it, “If you don’t have your health, you’ve got nothing!” Yesterday, I chose to change the narrative on my own self-talk and followed through.

I encourage you to reflect on possible areas where you need to follow through.   What have you been putting off that you know will be good for you, but something or someone is preventing you from fully committing?   Make that list of your top 5 things you need to follow through with and write down what story you are telling yourself that’s preventing you from loving yourself enough to commit.  At the end of the day, it comes down to loving ourselves enough. Finally, re-write the story to reflect on how you will commit going forward.  If you want to share, I’d love to hear how you plan to follow through.

Healing and Blessings,

Cathey