Many of you know the story of the mother and the egg. For those who are reading this post and know the story already, it has an impactful message that is good to internalize once more. And for those of you who have never before heard this story, give it a read.
A mother of three young children was living in poverty, and she had no money to purchase food. She once got hold of one egg. She cooked the egg and then needed to decide who would get to eat this egg. She went into a side room and locked the door, to give herself the head space to make this important decision. Her hunger overcame her and unaware of what she was doing, she ate the entire egg. As soon as she finished eating the egg, she heard her children knocking on the door, wanting to come in. They said through the closed door, "Mommy, what are you doing in there?" And she answered. " I am making for you a better mother."
The need for self care is real. Nowadays the concept of being a martyr is outdated, and rightfully so. Being overworked and downtrodden with a constant scowl is not beneficial for anyone. Not for yourself and not for the people for whom you are providing care.
Give yourself a night out. A trip to town, a spa day, a movie night, a nice dinner with a friend. Anything that provides respite and strengthens you to enable you to continue caring for your loved ones with a calm demeanor and peace of mind, body and soul.