This past weekend I posted a question on my Facebook page, asking viewers to complete the sentence “You know it’s time for self-care when…”

And the responses that came in hit the nail on the head with so many good and clear indicators. [Check out my page to find the post and read everyone’s great comments.] There were indicators shared that I think we all resonate with (maybe more than we wish we did or care to admit). The indicators all impact ourselves, our health, our productivity, and our overall function as well as our relationships with those we love.

A few of them that were shared included:
Staying present with our family
Perpetual fatigue
Forgetting things (maybe even multiple times in one day)
Being unable to focus
Losing sleep or having less than ideal sleep

If you didn’t comment and those resonate with you, you are in the right spot and in good company. As I read the comments and nodded along with them and replied in the thread, I also got to thinking about whether or not these indicators are later stage warning signs. I got to thinking about how many other indicators we ignored in our bodies and minds, how many other indicators we pushed past, pushed through.

Why is it that we wait until these really disruptive indicators before we take notice?
If we do notice early warning signs or these indicators, what can we do?
How can we prevent getting to this stage?

We are busy people, and we have a lot of balls in the air every day. We have work; we have obligations at home with our families. Lately, if you are here in the Midwest, we have a lot of snow and ice to shovel. How do we fit in the time?

And I get it. I struggle to fit things in as well, things that replenish me and reenergize me. I can always think of five other things to do, and I am also often scrapping my self-care plans because someone else needs something from me.

I remember very clearly before I was a yoga instructor myself and was taking yoga classes. I “planned” to attend a Monday night class each week, and yet I hate to admit how many times those “plans” were derailed and hate even more to admit how easily I sometimes let those plans get “derailed.” One night in particular stands out where I convinced myself, let mom guilt kick in, that I needed to stay home.

Throughout the night, though, I realized that while my family liked having me home, they didn’t NEED me there. BUT I did NEED that yoga class I skipped. I could feel it. I was mad at myself and told my husband to help hold me accountable moving forward and not let me self-sacrifice when it is completely unnecessary. Have you don’t something like this? I hope I am not alone!

If you looked at your schedule, calendar, planner, whatever you keep – do you have any appointments in there for you? Or are they all for someone else? If you flip back a few weeks, did you scratch out or skip out on any appointments you scheduled for yourself – to get a coffee, get your nails done, go to the gym, go to yoga?

I’m definitely NOT reprimanding anyone for missing to stay safe in bad weather or due to sickness or those inevitable things that happen in life. We all have those. But are we discriminating enough between those times we really have no control over and when we allow our plans to be changed when we don’t necessarily need?

This coming week, as you plan ahead, write in at least one or two appointments for yourself – maybe for a nap or a trip to Starbucks or a phone call with a friend or a class at the gym or studio. What would re-energize you this coming week? What do you need? Write it in pen – and make that an important appointment that you would not break. If you keep appointments in your phone, set an alarm to remind you!

Appointments with ourselves for ourselves as important too. We need to value them and keep them as well.

What are you going to schedule this week for yourself? And make sure to come back and comment and how you felt afterward. I hope you have a blessed week! Namaste!