It’s
not often that I hear something on TV that is thought-provoking, but I did the
other day. Tyler Perry was talking about how women tend to focus on taking care
of others and often neglect their own health. He mentioned that more women need
to put themselves on their priority list. He didn’t say they need to be on the top of the list...just somewhere on
there.
The
concept of putting your health somewhere on your priority list seems reasonable
to me. Most of us are awake for 16 hours or more per day. We should be able to
spend 10% of our waking hours (about 90 min) taking care of our health.
When
I was a new mom, I always felt guilty about taking time to do anything for
myself. There was so much to do, so many things that needed my attention. By
the time I got halfway through my to-do list, I would run out of energy. Even
basic self-care, like taking a long shower or going to the potty when I needed
to go, seemed like too much of a luxury. I ate whatever was left over on my kid’s
plate, decided that carrying laundry up and down the stairs was all the
exercise I needed, and rarely attended to my mental health. I was determined
not to neglect my child, my husband, or any other responsibilities, but in the
process I neglected myself. I failed to realize that I was responsible for
taking care of my own physical, mental, and spiritual health. I was a grown
woman, and no one else could take care of me…other than me. This is not to say
that I spent every minute of every day taking care of someone else. I didn’t. I
spent a lot of my waking hours exhausted, succumbing to mindless diversions.
I
wish I had heard this message back then…that it was okay to put your health on
your top 10 list every day. Well, now I know better, so I shall do better. I won’t
feel guilty about taking time to exercise, preparing a healthy meal—even if it
is something which only I might eat—taking mental health breaks, and reserving
time and space for prayer. Getting adequate sleep is still elusive for me, yet
I know that this is also a healthy habit I need to cultivate somehow.
I
have observed that most women, when they do
spend time or money on themselves, tend to focus on cosmetic things like hair,
nails, clothes, accessories, etc. Maybe this is because taking care of your
health involves more daily time, energy, and discipline.
What
would your daily schedule look like if you committed 10% of your waking hours
to taking care of your physical, mental, and spiritual health? How would your
life change if you put yourself, your health, somewhere on your priority list?
It would look like it does today and has for the last 10 years when the same thing was pointed out to me by Oprah and her trainer Bob Greene. I signed a contract with myself, that still remains on my fridge to exercise and nourish my body with quantity and quality of nutrients and to elevate and care for myself to the best of my ability.
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