As a busy wife and mother who was, up until last year, working 80+ hours a week, I did not take much time for myself. I did not eat well, sleep well, exercise or take time to just BE.
I also neglected my health.
I did not go to the dentist for over 2 years. I put off my annual gyno check-up for over 18 months. And… even though I am almost 46 years old, I had not yet had a baseline mammogram.
I am willing to bet that many of you are in the same boat. Not taking care of yourself because you are too busy taking care of everyone else.
Regularly scheduled checkups
I have remedied my mistake. After my husband was laid off last week, and we are losing our insurance end of August, I have been busy with much needed doctor’s visits.
What I want to impress upon you is how important it is that you have your regular checkups.
All of them.
I put off having my mammogram because I was nervous and afraid. Afraid of it being painful, afraid of it being awkward, afraid of finding something I didn’t want to find.
Which is what happened. Almost. I had to be called back for further testing. And yet everything has turned out fine.
The important thing to understand is that most any major medical issue can be treated if caught early. Having regular, annual (or however often recommended) checkups and tests, can many times catch problems soon enough to treat and resolve. Don’t put off these tests any longer!
Taking care of your children, your household, your job or business is important, but so is taking care of YOU. If you don’t take care of you, WHO will take care of them?
Are there some appointments you need to make? Do so TODAY!
I am linking this post up with my friend Shell’s Pour Your Heart Out post!
I’m reminded that “no one’s happy if mom’s not happy”. It is so true. We can’t help our family very well if we aren’t taking care of ourselves. Plus it sets a bad example for our daughters who are learning how to be a mom from us.
Caren with a “C” recently posted..Earthquakes and Emergency Preparedness
So true Caren! Important to set a good example for our girls AND our boys as to how girls should be treated! With respect!
Bernice
[...] we are propelled to the roller coaster. We get hit with some news, and not knowing how it is going to progress, (as my husband did with his job loss) we travel up [...]
Checkups, those I do. In fact, I have an MD appointment in just a few weeks. But I do all the other naughty things like not sleeping enough, not eating quite right all the time, and so forth. Because, yeah, I am busy taking care of business and taking care of my home and family and then trying to fit in me time that isn’t just me on a cleaning bender time…
Christa the BabbyMama recently posted..Caulking a Kitchen or ‘Look, I’m Handy!’
I hear you loud and clear Christa! (my 2nd daughter is named Christa!) Good for you that you DO get the checkups in! Now, just try to build the habit of doing a few things for yourself. Little things like drinking more water and less soda, turning off the TV or laptop and going to bed 30 minutes earlier. Little changes can add up to bigger results over time!
Bernice
Okay Bernice. I needed to read this. I’m calling my OB this week to schedule a check up.
Thanks for the reminder that little health problems will turn into giant health problems if they aren’t caught early.
Jenny @ Ex-Consumer recently posted..Tomorrow is Not Guaranteed
Hi Jenny! On that note, I just got a call back from the dermatologist. They encourage me to have a mole biopsied on Monday, even though it didn’t look too threatening, however it came back atypical. That just means it has the potential to turn cancerous down the road if it stays there. needless to say, I’ll be having that thing removed!
Good for you! Get that checkup scheduled and done!
Bernice
I’m glad everything turned out okay for you.
I’m guilty of not taking care of myself like I should. My last check up for anything would have been 6 weeks after my youngest was born… over 3 years ago.
Shell recently posted..Pour Your Heart Out: A Test Result
You are so right! As mamas we get so caught up in the day-to-day of caring for everyone else, it is way too easy to forty that we need nurturing too. We have to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of our children.
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Good post – your honesty about working so much and not taking care of yourself hit home. I have to make a real effort to buy new shoes for myself and get a good haircut, but I feel better about myself when I take care of myself, thanks for the reminder!
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