Over the past couple of years I started paying more attention to taking care of myself. As a woman, I am socialized to put everything and everyone else before myself often neglecting to take time to replenish my mind, body and spirit.  As a result, I've had points in my life where an overly full schedule meant I was often exhausted and drained.

I made a decision to do better and I did.  I developed a self-care routine which included gym time, quiet time, time spent with loved ones and time to pursue hobbies that fulfilled me. My routine isn't perfect and at times, I don't always make time for all those things, but I don't focus on doing it perfectly. I simply became intentional about incorporating at least some of those things when I can. 

Prioritizing self-care can feel odd in  our achievement oriented culture, but how successful are we really if achievement comes at the expense of our well-being.  Thanks to books like Shonda Rhimes' Year of Yes, which I wrote about in this post, I've let go of the idea of superwoman or trying to compartmentalizing my life into perfect little packages. I value working hard and doing my best in all areas of my life,  but balancing requires compromise, which mean that sometimes I am my best in one area in my life at the expense of other areas. That my friends, is human. Take care of yourself!