It is really easy to get busy and put our own health behind all the other busy priorities we have in our life.

I have had an incredibly busy week and I haven’t done much exercise. I am lucky to get 6 hours sleep a night and quite frankly my diet has been atrocious; when I actually remember to eat.

Usually, the sign is my tummy rumbling so much because I am starving. So I eat half a pack of biscuits or other equally nutrient blank food while I am trying to get some real food prepared. However and possibly most importantly it is actually all okay to have periods of time where life isn’t perfect. So there is no need to beat ourselves up about it because life is challenging sometimes.

What is not okay is being unaware of what we are doing or getting; so overwhelmed that we completely give up and go back to old habits. Once you realize you are running on empty or becoming stressed it is really important to take a step back and work out what you can do to make your health a priority again. It might be as simple as getting to bed at a reasonable hour or booking into that one class you missed last week. The good news is you can start your day again, week again or the entire year again any time you want.

You have that power!

I totally get that sometimes there are many subconscious beliefs that sabotage our life skills and make it even more difficult to get back on track. Those who suffer from mental health challenges have work deadlines or even parents who need to prioritize their kids are often the most affected by not looking after themselves.

If you are struggling to put your health first then talk to someone you trust or seek professional help to change the mindset that is stopping you from being healthy. If you have been on a plane then you will have all heard the air steward tell you to put your oxygen on first before helping others. Well, the truth is unless you are prioritizing yourself you are not going to be able to help others and in fact, you may unintentionally cause others harm.

I had a recent situation earlier this year where I was so stressed and not looking after my own well being that it had a huge negative effect on my son. It was a huge wake-up call to me about what my priority was. If your family or friends are important to you the best thing you can do for them is look after yourself. It is certainly not selfish to put your health first. It is selfish to put yourself first at the expense of everyone else or not care about how your actions affect others, but there is a nice little balance in between where you can accomplish looking after yourself while benefiting others.

So what can you do today that might reduce a bit of the stress you have in your life right now?

What small steps can you take to make your health a priority? What can you let go of that is taking up too much negative energy or not serving you?

If you need help or want to chat send me a message, sometimes all you need is a friendly encouraging word to get you back on track. And likewise, if you see someone struggling to take the time to check if they are okay.

Make you a priority!