The Top 10 Things I Have Learned From Flylady #2: Taking Care of Me Makes A Big Difference

January 8th, 2008 | Balance

Originally published on 21 April 2007.

Before I found Flylady, I functioned as I had been taught. I would give, give, give, and end up overworked, stressed out, and worst of all, a martyr. I put everyone’s needs before myself, and it showed.

One of the first emails I read from Flylady repeated the old airline mantra: “place your own air mask on your face before attempting to secure those of others”. She hasn’t put out that email in a while, but it still rings true. If I am exhausted, hungry or stressed out, the best I can give others is minimum. I need to be at my best before I can give my best to others. Here are some ways that I take care of me:

Eat Properly

When I eat real food and not empty calories I have better moods and more energy.

Get Enough Sleep

This one was, and still is tough for me. But I find that I am much more positive and energetic when I’ve gotten enough sleep. This, for me, is about 8 hours a night.

Take a Nap

I have started to take naps if I am tired. I have a great little program called pzizz that allows me to generate a 20 minute energizer nap. After listening to one of these, I feel like taking on the world.

Get Dressed Immediately After Getting Up

As a working person, I don’t have a problem getting dressed for work. But on weekends I used to lounge around for hours before getting dressed for the day. By making that one little switch on weekends, I feel better about myself on weekends, and also find that I don’t fritter my time away in meaningless tasks.

Limit Computer Time

I can spend hours doing mindless nothings on the computer at home. Since I am on the computer all day, I don’t need to spend that time. When I don’t have something specific to do on the computer, I set my timer and get off the computer when it goes off. I even do this with email so I don’t get sidetracked. This limits my self-directed grumpiness at having blown my free time, which translates into other-directed grumpiness.

Print Post