Doing Everything, But Not Doing Anything Well.

I asked my husband last night, "Do you ever get the feeling that you do everything...” Before I could even get out the BUT that was part of that sentence, he launched into a mini tirade about how helpful he is. Whatever, dude. I never said he wasn't the most helpful husband ever, because he truly is.  However, when he doesn't let me finish my thoughts? Then he becomes the most annoying husband ever; he truly does. FINALLY, after he stopped babbling about always putting away the dishes and mopping the kitchen floor and how he has feelings too, damn it; I was able to complete the sentence I was trying to spit out in the first place.

"Do you ever feel like you do everything, but not do ANYTHING well??"

That is exactly how I feel lately. I'm a mom. I'm a mom of a special needs child.  I'm a step-mom. I'm a wife. I'm a daughter. I'm a granddaughter. I'm a sister. I'm a friend. I'm a computer programmer. I'm a runner [kind of]. I'm a reader. I'm a Weight Watchers member. I'm a cat owner. Apparently, I'm even a blog writer.

This is what I feel like...figuratively.

I do all these things, and I wear all these different hats. Yet I feel like I never do a good job at ANYTHING. The constant pull to do fifty different things at once is nearly panic-inducing some days. I'm sure a lot of people feel this way, and it can be a big problem when you are trying to get fit and healthy. When you feel like you barely have enough time to be a good mom, wife, employee, etc; how can you possibly make time to take care of yourself? The answer is simple. YOU HAVE TO. [Yes, that is me yelling.]

Whenever I start to feel down about my general incompetence in this life, I realize that working on myself makes me BETTER at the other things I do, and doesn't take away from them. If I don't eat healthy, and if I don't exercise, then what kind of example am I showing my kids? If I don't lose some of this weight, then how is my husband ever going to get sex on the kitchen counter top?

The counter top....it waits...

Taking care of me has become a huge priority in my life, and I challenge you to make it a priority in yours. It simply affects every facet of my being, even if I don't realize it. While flying back from Vegas several years ago, I heard a flight attendant say one of the most useful phrases ever.

“In case the oxygen mask falls from the compartment above your head, put your own oxygen mask on first and then help others around you.”

How often do I ignore this bit of wisdom? Is it really helping me do anything BETTER for others when I don't take care of myself first? No way! So every time I want to skip my run to get more work done, or anytime I feel like eating crappy just to save a little time, I won't. I'll constantly remind myself that in order to do EVERYTHING better, I need to take care of myself first.