Women tell me all the time how they want to slow
down and take time out from their busy lives to chill, but they can't.
They tell me there's way too much to do to keep
things going in their world, and no one else to do it.
Besides, they tell me, taking time for myself is selfish.
They tell me doing stuff for the kids, partner,
parents, grandparents, friends, dogs, cats, is more important than me-time.
When they do make time for exercise, yoga, painting
or a class, they feel guilty. Isn't cooking and freezing meals for the next
decade, helping kids with their homework and vacuuming dog hair for the
umpteenth time this week more important than self-improvement?
When they sit and read, take a walk or meditate for
30 minutes they wonder if they're being lazy. What about the cabinets to be
cleaned, the extra work they could be doing at their job or preparing the
gourmet meal their partner would be thrilled with?
The oxygen-on-the-plane metaphor is something I
often invoke. Everyone understands that if you can't breathe you can't help
your 4-year-old breathe. Think of taking a little time for solitude as something
to help you breathe.
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