Do you value yourself?

Take a moment and seriously ask yourself an important question: do you value yourself? Do you value your time? Do you value your contributions to the house, your family, your kids, your spouse, to yourself? As moms we seem to belittle our role and self worth because we often put everyone else’s needs before our own. While this tendency is only natural and part of being a nurturing and loving mother, we cannot neglect ourselves in the process because in the long run neglecting ourselves means neglecting everyone else, too.

We’ve all seen the articles going around about what a mom’s worth in terms of a monetary value if they were to price out the going rate for a housekeeper, cook, tutor and so on. This does put into perspective the value of the different hats we wear day in and day out, but it doesn’t put a price on self worth. Moms, take the time to love YOU and everyone else. You must love yourself first in order to love everyone else. Take breaks just for you every single day. If you run yourself to the point of exhaustion how will you ever maintain focus in your daily routine? You will suffer, your relationships will suffer and your family will suffer.

For me, this means going to the gym. By no means am I even close to being in perfect shape. I don’t run marathons and I am not a bodybuilder. However, I have learned that if I neglect to have a positive and healthy outlet that is just for me, everyone around me suffers. I love and value myself enough to know this. I value my time and I know how important it is for my mental, emotional and of course physical well being to set aside plenty of time just for me. I go to the gym 4-5 times a week but that may not be what you need. It should be a positive and healthy outlet that will make you feel good. What is it for you? Is it setting aside 3-4 nights a week with a good book? Is it going for a long walk outside? Is it just taking 20 minutes every day to be alone in silence? Whatever it is I challenge you to value yourself enough to make it a priority. Don’t make excuses to push it aside because it is important that you make yourself a priority just as you do everyone else in your life.