Mother's Day: Best Mother Ever Award Goes to ...

Tell the truth. Are you a bit cranked out, disillusioned or just plain tired? Are you giving, running, doing until you are dry? If yes, I'd like to encourage you to stop it, right now! There's no way you can be the 'best mother ever' or even come close to it if you are running on empty!

PUTTING YOURSELF FIRST ...
... a revolutionary idea whose time has come!

Do you put everyone and everything before yourself? The kids, your partner, significant other, spouse, your job, family members, community obligations, friends, and goodness knows who or what else?

Are you cranked out? Annoyed? Maybe even angry and bitter? How about drained and exhausted? Do you feel like you're juggling so many balls, you may as well join the circus?

And to add insult to injury, your healthy eating plan has gone out the window, hasn't it?

I could hypothesize as to why we put everyone else's needs before our own, but it matters not why we do it. What matters is that we STOP doing it.

When you put everyone before yourself and stop paying attention to your own needs, stop doing the things that you love to do, stop connecting to yourself, you effectively don't exist. You've lost your identity, and run the risk of playing the victim.

I'm not saying that you should abandon others or neglect others, I'm simply suggesting that you take care of yourself first.

Let go of the guilt of getting your own needs met before others. Those who neglect themselves often experience deeper levels of unhappiness, low self-esteem and resentment than those who take the time to nurture themselves.

Taking care of yourself, nurturing yourself, nourishing yourself, appreciating yourself, and loving yourself allows you to give to others from a satisfied and happy place (vs. bitter and empty).

PUTTING YOUR SELF FIRST. If you lose yourself, you gain weight. Interesting how that works!

Here are some suggestions of things to do that may help you to get reacquainted with yourself.

Take a bath.
Listen to music.
Read a book.
Sit and stare.
Write in your journal.
Take a walk.
Go to the movies.
Go to a museum.
Sing at the top of your lungs.
Ask for what you want!!! (They are not mind readers.)
Say "No." (In any language.)
Sleep when needed.
Smile.
Laugh.
Take a Leap of Faith.

Make your own list and schedule some time for yourself, TODAY.

I understand that it's difficult to prioritize something like taking a bath when the sky is falling, but self care is so very important, and you so deserve to take care of yourself.

Taking care of yourself sends a message to others that you and your needs are important, too. Carve out some time TODAY to do something meaningful and pleasurable. Rejuvenate NOW!

Leap NOW!
How to Take a Leap of Faith (without crashing).
Your Ancestor's Fat: Do NOT Accept Delivery
Our Lady of Weight Loss En"LIGHT"ens
@ Omega Institute for Holistic Studies Take a Leap!

Spread the word ... NOT the icing,
Janice
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Janice Taylor is a Life & Wellness Coach, specializing in weight loss, reinvention, transformation & happiness, author, seminar leader and 50-pound-BIG-Time-LOSER! Write Janice for an Introductory Coaching Session.

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"Janice Taylor is a certain kind of kooky genius ~ see if her idiosyncratic diet plan will work for you." ~ O, The Oprah Magazine

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href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/ourladyofweightloss/2008/06/pineapple-power.html">A Mother's Day Pineapple (recipe)