Are You Self-Prioritizing?
So many of us were raised to be selfless and to care for everyone around us. We cook breakfast, lunch and dinner, take kids back and forth to school/practice, make time for friends, and all the duties that entail being a wife. We so easily drain ourselves of energy and desire. We are literally everyone’s superhero, myself included.
A little about me…I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee by, hands down, the best two people God could have placed me with: my mother and father. I am a wife of seven years to the most amazing man on the planet, a mother to the wildest, four-year-old sour patch kid ever known to mankind, a dog-mom to a grumpy 14-year-old Chihuahua, and a loyal friend. I have a very demanding career in healthcare working within the scope of physical therapy. I’m a home travel therapist between ten different cities in and around Nashville. I also own and operate Shayla J Creations, an event-specializing service. Did I mention I’m an Airbnb host in downtown Nashville (come visit)? Needless to say, I wear many hats and can easily subtract myself from the equation when it comes to self-prioritizing.
Like many women, I find myself falling into the “go mode” cycle time and time again. That cycle where I get so focused on excelling on the job, taking on new patients and committing to favors for friends. Too many times I take on more than I can mentally handle, often tallying up achievements that I use to prove my worth but rarely stopping to experience what makes my hard work worth it. Time and time again I sacrifice my own interests altogether. In doing so, I — or in many cases, WE — give up aspects of ourselves unknowingly, but the people closest to us also miss out on really knowing who we are.
It’s a rough cycle. But at some point we have to learn to put US first. We have to commit to being selfish for our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. At the beginning of this year, I told myself I was going to be made “Priority “ by ME! What did this look like? For me, that meant putting my health first. Within my busy schedule, I’ve incorporated one hour of exercise into each day (basically listed as a patient). This little, daily insert has provided me with so much self pride to know I’m thinking of ME and actually acting on it on a daily basis. I encourage you all to do the same.
Fitness may not fall into everyone’s “self-prioritizing “ piece, but if we don’t practice that level of self-care and find healthy ways to meet our needs as individuals, we’ll tend to have less energy, complain more, feel more resentment and criticize ourselves and others. And it’s not just us we affect. Our negligence to our own needs can be draining to all the people we are seeking to benefit. We can’t pour from an empty cup, so do what you can to remain full, present and in sound mind.
The most important relationship you can have is the one with yourself. Make yourself a priority. And remember it’s not selfish. Instead, it’s a necessity!