In a self-care workshop I conducted for mothers, one of the participants said that she would love to build self-care and pampering time into her life, but she didn’t know how and didn’t know where to begin.  For each of us, novice or experienced, let us pledge to ourselves that we will take the necessary time to celebrate ourselves on a daily basis.

Guilt is one of the main barriers keeping women from spending the necessary time on self-care.  First, you must decide if you love yourself enough to take good care of yourself.  Second, you must come to the realization that if you are not mentally, physically or spiritually healthy, and if you are depleted in any of these areas, you cannot fulfill any of your obligations well.

For those of you who might say, “I don’t have time in my busy schedule,” I challenge you to find out otherwise!  Very simply put – if it is important to you, you will make the time.  If the only time you can spare is five minutes, start with five minutes a day.  Any one of the first three items on the list below can be done in five minutes or less.  Pick one you would like to focus on and go with it.  Gradually increase the time you spend until you reach a level that is appropriate for your needs. (more…)