Self-care vs. selfish

Today I was thankful that I had some time (albeit what felt like a small amount of time) to engage in self-care, specifically a little exercise and which helped to clear my mind.  So often self-care gets confused in our minds and in our conversations (and our conscience!) as selfish.  I am aware of how often I think about the other things that I could be doing instead of taking care of myself (like the laundry, the dishes, spending more time with the kids or my husband, the multitude of house projects on the list, or even work related stuff - this list is in no particular order).  I am also really aware of how often my self-care falls to the end of the to do list and how many other things come first - and as most of us know, the to-do list is never ending.

With young beautiful children, I am pulled to spend as much time with them as possible and also keeping up with the household is a constant pull, so taking time out for yoga, meditation, knitting, writing, reading, art or exercise feels really hard.  Mostly, I am not successful at it, however today the opportunity arose, and I took it (although I emptied the dishwasher first!), and the exercise was helpful in clearing my mind and reminding me that I need to take care of my health in order to have the energy and wellness to offer to others.  So today I am thankful that self-care came to the top of the to-do list.  Here is wishing you a day and night filled with taking time for you.