3 Easy Steps to Self-Care!

Seriously! January 2016 has been in like a lion! RAWR!!! :) I went from not busy with hardly anything to do, to (excuse the expression) balls to the walls! I started as a distributor for Young Living in November, but in January, my full time job has picked up, the YL work has picked up, I started taking classes, committed to a book study, AND a training program! That's just the every day stuff! I haven't even started talking about how my personal life has decided to kick it into high gear to start off the new year! I feel like I'm running a marathon every single day!

Does anyone else feel like this? Am I the only one out there who feels disorganized, overwhelmed, and like ALL of my time is consumed??? Surely not!

Well, while I might be starting the year off in a million different directions, I know one thing for sure. I HAVE to take care of myself! My physical, mental, and spiritual well-being has to be a priority or I cannot accomplish everything on my to-do list! And that's the way it is!

So here is how I'm tackling the biggest task of all... taking care of ME!

1) I have a planner. Ok, so yeah, it kinda is a pain to say "let me check my schedule" and then actually do that before I agree to doing things... ESPECIALLY things I really want to do! (Like that facial my friend got me for my birthday that we are supposed to go do together?!?!?) BUT, as much as I'd love some much needed friend time doing that sort of things, I have made commitments and I don't want to get too far behind on them or I will give them up completely! This is why I HAVE to keep up with what's in my planner! You may have noticed it's been awhile since I blogged last... Because it WASN'T in my planner! (Mental note: add blogging to planner!) Seriously, how can you possibly know what's left to accomplish if you're not writing it down? When I'm in a frazzle, my brain can't remember everything! I have to make a point to put it somewhere I can reference reguarly. And, awesome enough, my planner has a to do list! So I can write all of my to-dos down, pencil them in, rearrange them, and refer back to that list when I have some surprise free time! PLAN YA'LL!

2) Schedule in down time in your planner. It may only be 30 minutes here or there, but you need to reflect thoughout the day on what you've done and what you need to do! Sometimes you just need a break! My planner has 1/2 hour intervals at least every couple of hours where I can get up, stretch, get a drink, go to the bathroom... you get the picture. And should I be "on a roll" and not ready for a break, that's awewsome! Take a look at that to-do list and see what didn't fit in somewhere and then DO IT!!!

3) Schedule personal time into your planner. I have my planner marked with morning routine and bedtime routine, church, lifegroup, lunch, dinner, bills, exercise, kid time, etc. That way I don't accidentally schedule something in during a time when I'm supposed to be allowing myself to SLOW DOWN. Seriously, you've got to stop and smell the roses at some point! The kids are going to be grown and gone before you know it! The dirty laundry can wait! If you don't take some time to slow down from time to time and see what is going on around you, you're going to miss your life as it goes on by.

I hope these 3 steps can help you get (and STAY) on track in this crazy 1st quarter! As a side note... don't forget to ask for help when you need it. It's so hard for me as a single, independent woman, to call up a friend and ask them if my kid can ride with them to that concert today so that I can have an extra few minutes to myself, but sometimes, you really need to do that. What good are family, friends and neighbors if you can't use them every once in awhile? And the truth is, many people are looking for ways to bless others! But us "others" sometimes have to remember to ask!

Ok, so you got 4 tips for the price of 3! What else do ya'll want to know about how I keep it together? Write a comment on my website, or shoot me an email at tjbeek7997@gmail.com! I'd love to hear from you!