Business Women and Self-Esteem: Going 90 with No Self-Care in Sight
As career women or women entrepreneurs, we race at lightning speed across every road of life. We rush to get up and get the kids out the door. We rush in traffic to work. We rush at work to finish our work. We rush at lunch to finish our errands. Then we rush home and dash through the evening routine. After all, we have to hurry up so we CAN RELAX.
Does this sound like you? It certainly sounds a lot like me and most women I know, even if they don’t have children at home. Every area of life has become a race of productivity and perfection. We want to succeed, so we push and we push and we push…until we crash. Then everything in our life careens out of control and veers off the cliff.
The truth is, the world has imposed an impossible ideal of what we women need to be accomplishing every day. And it’s imprinted the crazy notion in our heads that self-care is selfish. And we don’t want to be selfish, because selfish is bad. So, everything BUT self-care takes precedence. And the lack of attention to our self is creating epidemic levels of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and ill health. Would you impose those health issues on anyone you loved? Then why are you imposing them on yourself?
We have bought into the idea that we are NOT as important as everything else. We are not as important as the dishes, the laundry, the dusting…our work. Now, we wouldn’t say that out loud, because that would sound crazy. But our actions say it loud and clear. And if our actions reflect it, our inner thoughts believe it.
The fact of the matter is our self-esteem is suffering when it comes to our own well-being and health. And we need to acknowledge it and change it.
3 Ways to Build Your Self-Esteem through Self-Care 1. Decide and CHOOSE to make your well-being a top priority. Let everyone know what’s coming. 2. Make time to exercise three times a week, if only for 30 minutes. Make this time NON-NEGOTIABLE. It doesn’t have to be the gym. It could be yoga, dance, or riding your bike. Make it something that makes you feel good. 3. Take time to sit down and enjoy a healthy meal without interruption. Don’t be jumping up and down to fill everyone’s glass, or get everyone a new napkin. Enjoy the time. If it’s too chaotic, put your meal aside and eat it alone when everyone else is done…or go away and eat by yourself if you find you’re choking down every bite between jumping up and down like a yo-yo.
Then get ready with the response below when this comes out of somebody’s mouth: “But you made time to go to the gym. Why can’t you make time to do (XYZ) for me?” Reply: “Yes I did go to the gym…for me and for you. I want to be healthy and strong so that I can do (XYZ) for you for many, many more years to come. And I’m happy to do XYZ for you, but just not today. Love you!”
Kathleen Aston is the authority on creating confident, courageous, successful women who strive to reach purpose-driven prosperity. Ms. Aston’s proprietary systems help women to build solid foundations of self and rapid-fire business growth, profits and success. Discover The #1 Secret to Stop Procrastination and Boost Profits! https://www.kathleenastonintl.com/getgoing/