Taking care of YOU!!!!!

One thing I have learned along the way is that you are responsible for YOU. If you are waiting to get a physical or a colonoscopy or a mammogram, don't expect someone to make the appointment for you or bug you to go to the doctor.
We as women always take care of everyone else, the kids, the husband, the wash, our parents, our neighbors, our friends. We usually put ourselves last and if we run out of time in the day it is usually our needs that go by the wayside.
I am realizing on this journey through Cancer that I need to take care of ME. It doesn't mean I am selfish, actually it is the opposite, because if I take care of me I will be stronger and then able to take care of all the people in my life who depend on me.

Taking care of you can mean lots of different things. You can view this as getting a pedicure or a manicure or a massage~ all these things are great ideas. They comfort us and make us feel good.

I am not  a fussy person but I like to stay at least a little bit polished. I don't want my nails to be chipped even if I am not going anywhere. I like my hair trimmed, my eyebrows arched, I want to be put together. I am not always put together but I always feel better if I take care of myself. It makes me feel good and if I am happy then the people around me are happy too.

Taking care of your self means keeping up with your health, getting fresh air daily, doing some sort of exercise on a regular basis, eating right, drinking water, stretching, having some quiet time for just you, smiling more, laughing more, letting all the little worries and aggravations of each day go.

Sometimes it is just not worth getting mad or upset about some of the small things that can happen to us on a daily basis. Like being in a traffic jam, use that time to stretch or think or let your mind go blank. We are in situations regularly that we can't control but we have the ability to control our reactions. Next time someone gives you a hard time ~smile at them.. see what happens.. it is surely not what they were expecting and it can change the outcome of a bad situation.

I encourage you to take some time for you, take care of you. If you have a medical issue and are putting off going to the doctor I can tell you that it won't go away on it's own and sometimes our fears stop us from finding out what is wrong and we put off getting it taken care of and then it's too late. So please take a minute, look at yourself and love yourself. Your body is yours for all of your life~take care of it!

Give yourself some tender loving care~ you deserve it!