Be selfish. Take time for yourself to really, REALLY take care of you.

Eat well. Sleep well. Laugh. Exercise. Clean the house. Call your Mom. Breathe.

Yesterday I had a full on meltdown. I have been teaching 12 yoga classes a week, working full time as the Marketing Manager of my parent’s company, planning my wedding, trying to catch and be there for friends, and in the spare couple moments each day I try to squeeze in a healthy meal, a yoga class and some quiet time in. But to be honest, I rarely have time to devote to myself as much as I tell myself I should.

I’ve recently noticed a slight decline in my health: I’m tired all the time, I’m snacking on things not as good for me because I don’t have time for my usual meal prep, and I’m not taking time for my own yoga practice and physical health every day like I used to. I was shocked when I realized yesterday that I hadn’t been to yoga class in 5 days! I used to go every day, sometimes twice a day! Then at night, even though I’m so exhausted, I cannot sleep because my mind is whirling with so many worries, so many to-do lists and not enough time to do it all.

So yesterday I made a last minute decision and took the night off. I cooked the most amazing veggie+tofu stir-fry, went for a walk in the sunshine, took an uplifting yoga class, called my Mom, called my grandparents, caught up on some things around the house and then went to bed early where I could finally relax and get a good nights sleep. It’s amazing that one evening of “me-time” set me up for the most amazing day today. I felt refreshed, happy and whole.

I still have more work to do on myself but I’m taking steps in the right direction and making intentions to take better care of myself more often. We are only able to be there for others as a positive and supportive energy if we ourselves are looked after. Once you find happiness and calm within you, you are much more available to share it.

Be selfish, take care of you.