Does anyone here take really good care of...themselves?

[tiapam]

Not sure I worded that properly. I just feel like so many posters here and people I know IRL are not. Just curious as I struggle with this. I am starting to realize part of it is my fault and I am thinking of trying some experiments, mostly with sleep. I don't get enough sleep even though my kids mostly sleep through the night. So why am I still up and on the computer? Because it's me time. But I am starting to think sleep would be a better way to use that time.

If you do take very good care of yourself, what are your secrets?

[Katigre]

I take good care of myself. I think that I do it because I make myself part of the 'family priority' - i.e., just like DH's needs and my kids' needs matter, so do mine, because our whole family's health depends on each of us taking good care of ourselves. I get alone time and DH is with the kids, I do my hair and makeup the days I go out of the house and have flattering clothes that fit (even though they're discount from Kohl's or Old Navy). I never.ever miss showering in the morning. I'm also pretty in touch with who I am and what I need and am not shy about asking for it and making it happen.

I just feel fairly balanced in how I manage life and things like that - and I have a good community of friends/family around me which helps a lot too.

[DebbieJ]

I do not take good care of me. Working on it. Often feels selfish, though.

[tiapam]

I do not take good care of me. Working on it. Often feels selfish, though.

yeah i get the selfish feeling. i have been wanting to schedule a massage for forever but keep coming up with excuses for not doing it. and i am way behind on doctor appointments. for dr appts bringing the kids with me or finding childcare is such a pain as i never know how long it will take, so i sometimes need to have a second sitter to relive the first, someone to take dd to school or pick her up, etc. i get a headache just thinking about it.

[elektra]

That would be a big fat NO.
I go to sleep between 1 and 2am, I am overweight, never exercise, do not get pedicures and rarely buy new clothing items for myself.

[DietCokeLover]

That would be a big fat NO.
I go to sleep between 1 and 2am, I am overweight, never exercise, do not get pedicures and rarely buy new clothing items for myself.

I could have written this, except I go to bed a little earlier than you. I feel guilty focusing on myself, especially when we have so little time and financial resources.

[momm]

No. I don't exercise, don't even take a long luxurious shower, much less anything else. I need to change that though. It's always something to be done for the baby, for the house, for DH, for, for for.
I know I sound whiny but it's just fact not a whine

[hellokitty]

I'm trying to work on this. I think that when you have little kids you get sucked into a vortex and forget that you need to take care of yourself. I'm just now coming out of that trance now that my older two are less work. Trying to get healthier in general, loosing some weight, re-doing my wardrobe, trying to go out more with friends, etc.. I find that it's pretty common, where during the younger yrs (kids under age 4), moms just look haggard and kind of frumpy b/c they are pulled so many directions and the kids are so needy. When their kids start going to all day school, things start to improve for mom, since they have more time to themselves. I've run into friends that I haven't seen for a few yrs and was amazed at how good (and put together) they looked as their kids got older.

[bisous]

In some ways yes and in some ways no. My clothes are pretty frumptastic these days owing to my bank account! I'm a little bit embarrassed at our local mall which is pretty nice. The kids don't seem to mind me though, lol.

I do make sure that I get sleep and eat well. Exercise? Well I have TIME and support to make it happen, but I don't because I don't love it. I've started walking now that the days are longer and DH is home in the evenings and I'm really enjoying that.

My biggest lesson this year was to take care of my stress level. Even if it means not living up to a certain expectation for myself or dropping a less than absolutely crucial but still important responsibility, I need to make sure that I have breathing room in my life or I can't function. Because I've really suffered with this in the past couple of months, I'm doing pretty well at saying no and being kind to myself right now.

[lhafer]

That would be a big fat NO.
I go to sleep between 1 and 2am, I am overweight, never exercise, do not get pedicures and rarely buy new clothing items for myself.

This is me. Only I just started excersing 4 times a week. We have a gym membership and I wasn't taking advantage of it. At all. It is $160/mo for all of us (DH, me, DD1 and DD2), DD1 has swim lessons there which adds $40/mo - otherwise it's $120/mo.

I was just lazy. But they have a great kid center that my DD1 loves going to. They have a great play room for the baby. I just have to call and make reservations for the baby.

I do a cardio class monday mornings at 8:45am. I drop off DD1 at preschool at 8:30 and head over. I do pilates on T/Th at 8:30. Take the kids with me and they have fun. Then I do another cardio class W or Fri.

DH and I also have memberships to Massage Envy. We try to get them once a mo. But many times they will call me because I haven't been and can go get a 2 hr massage and use up my sessions. It's a $40/mo membership for each of us.

I don't get pedicures very often. Or cut my hair but like twice a year. And I never buy clothes for myself. But I am slowly changing because I realize that if I don't take better care of myself, I might not be around long enough to see my girls grow up. I decided to start the excersing first. It's the harder habit for me to get into. I just started excersing 2 weeks ago. So I'm going to do that for a 4-6 weeks and get into a good routine. Then I will begin to work on my diet. If I did it all at once, I would just get overwhelmed and frustrated, and I would quit. The other thing I don't do is I don't get on a scale. I know about how much I weight. I just want to feel better. I don't want to depend on numbers.

I am 100 pounds overweight, I already have cardiac issues, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol/triglycerides. My father dropped dead of heart attack at the age of 51 and he was healthy (that they know of). I'm 33 years old. I think I am finally growing up and realizing that I am important too.