How Taking Care of Myself Has Improved My Quality of Life

Hello... everyone!

This video which you are about to watch was recorded in September 2018. It was my very FIRST time I was showing my face on video for my audience – so I was nervous as heck and it was REALLY hard for me to record this video because of how uncomfortable I felt being on camera! There’s a first time for everything, so please excuse the repetition of words and bear with me…

Oh and I have probably missed a number of important points I wanted to share in this video and so I have written a longer post about it to cover the points that I’ve missed.

I am actually quite passionate about this topic because for the longest time since having children, I haven’t really taken the time to look after myself and I have just realized how important it is for oneself to do so.

So if you are sick and tired of being exhausted ALL the time (due to stress, work, kids, school, exams, business etc.) then this video/post is for YOU.

Yes, YOU.

Read my post or watch the video below to discover how taking care of myself has improved my quality of life and helped me be a happier person.

And as a bonus, you can also download your free printables below this post to help you in the process of taking care of yourself by listing down the nice things you want to do for yourself – because YOU are just as important as the people you look after around you.

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Tough Story

You see, I’ve been where you’ve been.. not for weeks. Not for months.. but for YEARS!

The last straw came after my 4th child arrived and things went from BUSY to CRAZY busier…

Everything took much longer to accomplish. Which means less time to work. And housework not done.

My clothes pile started from a small hill and now, to a MOUNTAIN of clothing!

Not quite as literally – but you get my point.

So I naively thought that the more I work, I would accomplish much more.

But how wrong I was.

I was just busy being BUSY. And although yes, I did manage to accomplish some urgent and important work..

I ended up feeling stressed, overworked and utterly exhausted..

I couldn’t keep up.. to the point I couldn’t think straight and I was dozing off at my desk!

Now when I think back, I was kinda pathetic.

I also took in more work than I could chew.. because I was this ‘yes’ kinda person.

Not to mention – I’ve developed this “shiny object syndrome“. Jumping from one idea to another, from one course to another, from one ‘best’ making money online method to the next… Oh my gosh! It was exhausting.

And this went on and on and on…and on….

If you can relate, then you are NOT alone.

MY Awesome Husband

Now, up to this point, my husband, Peter was already telling me to go to bed if I’m tired and not overworked myself. He’s the kind of guy who goes to bed on time every single night. He does a good job at work. Is VERY good at what he does. He is productive and focused – everything I feel that I am not. (I get distracted a lot, you see).

Chuckled. Maybe that’s why we are such a good match 😉

I always questioned myself, why can’t I learn from Peter? I always admired and loved this side of him…

I also thought to myself,

“If only I could pick his brain..and see what goes on inside his head of his…”

Then maybe I could make sense of it all.

So Peter kept asking me to go to bed…

I know I should… but you know… I could just hear myself say,

“I’ve got only ONE section LEFT!” and then, the next thing you know – 3 hours have gone!

I was stubborn as (that’s a kiwi saying)

Stubborn as a mule?

You bet, I was.

But I’ve paid dearly for it.

My mental, physical and spiritual health were NOT so great.

I was sleeping 4-6 hours sleep every day (because my youngest would wake me up for a feed in the middle of the night).

I wasn’t eating well and chose the wrong foods because I was just TOO tired to make myself a proper healthy meal.

I became too tired and lazy to spend even a few minutes with GOD. Excuses, of course.

And I couldn’t think straight. I wasn’t as productive. Ideas were not flowing. I couldn’t focus on one single task.

Everything was mumbo-jumbo and a MESS!

I’m sure you are just as exhausted hearing ALL of this.. maybe even annoyed at my foolishness (and I don’t blame you if you feel this way).

I knew I couldn’t keep doing this to myself. I was frustrated and ANGRY at myself for letting myself be this way.

I would kick myself if I could. Hah!

Oh, What A Miracle!

But God is SO good to me… it’s as if He heard my soul cry out for help. And I desperately NEEDED it.

A phone call came from my children’s daycare one day and offered me a 3 MONTHS worth of free daycare service for siblings that go to the same center.

Hey, what do ya know..

It was an offer I COULD NOT refuse.

I said yes, almost immediately.

And the rest is history.

I felt like I could breathe again. But it took some divine intervention on HIS part to knock some sense into me. Quite literally.

I wished I have made this effort to take care of myself years ago…

To give myself grace.

To stop and take a breather and not have a care in the world.

I wished I took the time to look after myself earlier…

Then maybe… just maybe, I will be able to think straight and focus better. I will also probably make better decisions and stop all this mumbo-jumbo, shiny-object syndrome and stop wasting my time and money on things that do not matter.

Things started changing for me…

Fortunately, now things have turned around for the better…

My sleep is improving as well, but it is still not perfect. This will always be a process for me and will continue to work on it.

I also have decided to live my life with more intention and focus on the most important things that will bring me success.

I have made an effort too, to exercise at least 3 to 4 times a week now. And make healthy food choices.

I feel strong. I feel at peace and a sense of satisfaction, knowing that my life and business is heading in the right direction.

My head is clearer and I can focus better as well.

Inspiration and ideas are coming to me from left, right and center! And I feel incredibly INSPIRED.

All the exercise and healthy food choices are definitely helping my mental clarity.

I have started losing weight too – which is a bonus. And I will continue to work on it as I have a LONG way to go before I reach my goal weight.

All these good things started to happen ONE by ONE, because I have decided to take one day of the week to FOCUS on taking care of myself.

And I want the same for you too.

Start NOW!

You don’t have to wait until you feel like dying or when you are utterly burned out.

You don’t have to wait until some miracle pops into your life (just like it did to me)…

Why wait when you can decide NOW to take some time off and give yourself some lovin’ 😉

Learned from my mistakes. It will save you a ton of pain and regret and MONEY in the long run.

And your body and mind will thank you for it.

Again, remember to be kind to yourself and stop to rest because…

YOU ARE WORTH IT!

You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.

And that is why I have created this Free Printable for you to list out the nice little things you are going to do for yourself this week!

And when you do, comment below and tell me what fun things you have you been up to, so we can bounce ideas off each other to keep things interesting each week!

And if you like watching my video and would like to see more of them, remember to Subscribe to my Channel.

If you like this free printable, you’ll love the Inspired Printables Club! If you want more printables like this, join the club!

Printables, design elements, graphics and any digital products provided on this site are for personal use only. You may NOT modify them or redistribute them for free or monetary gain without the written agreement from the author, Janice Banks. You may share these with your classes or co-workers (educators/teachers/tutors) as long as they are not modified in any way. Please share the link to the blog post if you want to share these digital resources with others.