How Can We Be There For Others If We Don't Take Care Of Ourselves?

If you're at all like me, you may have a difficult time taking care of your own needs when someone close to you is having a particularly stressful time. Whether it is a health-related matter, business crisis, or any other serious concern, it is so easy to lose track of ourselves and our own needs. In order for us to be continuing support, we have to have the resilience to keep going. Without proper self-care, the resilience will decline and we will become more vulnerable and less able to be a strong and loving support. How's Your Boundary-Setting Skill Level? In your business life, do you speak up so that you have an environment conducive to success? Do you feel as though you can say "no" when you know you already have all you can do in a professional manner? Setting boundaries in our business and personal life may be the most difficult task we have in our life. So many of us have learned that it is "selfish" to ask for what we need. Sometimes we even stop noticing what it is we really need. What Can We Do? Take some time to focus on what is important to you. Slow down enough to be aware of what your own thoughts and feelings are. Be aware of providing yourself with what you need physically for good health. Plan ahead and let your needs be known in an appropriate and timely way. And to make sure there is a heaping portion of joy in your life, create a Pleasure Menu for yourself! Every restaurant menu has categories: Entrees, Salads, Desserts, etc. This menu could have sections for activities such as Mindless Activities, Creative Activities, Physical Activities, and Educational or Spiritual Activities. These can be things that you always wanted to do and haven't done yet. They can be activities that you enjoy and don't do as often as you would like to. Or maybe they are activities that you haven't done in many, many years. After creating your menu, keep it in a place where you will look at it often. When you find yourself with a little space of time, look at your menu. What activity would fit into this time frame? You have choices right there in front of you. Without this preplanning, you may just slip into the easy way to relax....just watching some television that you don't even enjoy. How much more satisfying it would be to engage in an activity that brings you joy or satisfaction? As you look at your schedule for the upcoming week or month, where would you like to take the time for one of your larger activities? Schedule it in so that the time doesn't get away from you! There will always be more on our To-Do List. It's time to put some joyful activities on there! You'll find you are much more able to give of yourself freely when you have taken the time to do some things that bring you pleasure!