Self-Care is Not Selfish; It's Smart

Are you amongst the "Sandwich Generation"? By that, I mean people who are both raising kids and also taking care of an elderly parent. If so, I would guess that you're feeling a great deal of stress from the large number of competing demands placed upon you frequently by your family - and that doesn't even include the ones coming from your work and your company. Do you ever feel as though you're always sacrificing yourself for the other members of your family, at your own expense. You're constantly taking the kids to school and extracurricular activities, or taking your parents to doctors and other social services, but you never seem to have any time to sit down, breathe, put your feet up, and read a good book, watch tv, or simply take a nap. In fact, even if there were a sliver of time in your day to do such things, chances are you wouldn't do them anyway, because doing so would make you feel guilty - as if you were neglecting your duty and your responsiblity to your family. I used to feel that way too - that I was always the one who needed to surrender my time, energy and fun in order to care for the family. Then, one night I was watching the TV show, Baywatch - a show where one of the lifeguards had swum out unde eath a dock in very heavy seas, with the waves slapping forcefully against the pilings of the dock. The inexperienced lifeguard came to the point where he realized that the surf were so strong that they were pushing him and his rescued swimmer toward a certain collision with one of those posts. His initial inclination was that he should position his body between the injured swimmer and the pilings and let his body take the burden of whatever impact might occur. But, then he realized that if he were to do that, he might be made unconscious - or otherwise, seriously injured. If that were to happen, it was very likely that they would both be lost. So, he quickly came to the realization that if either of them had to get banged against the piling, it would have to been the person he was rescuing. He needed to remain strong, and conscious, in order to ensure that they both made it to shore, and to safety. I took a lesson from that episode, and have since applied it in my life in both personal and business situations. As strange as it may seem, when the caregiving situation is so critical, it is important that the caregiver remain healthy and strong. Not many of us are faced with the lifeguard's decision about {} to allow to be dragged into the pilings, but many of us are faced - frequently - with decisions about taking time for ourselves to rest, recuperate. and in general, to chill out from the extreme pressures of the caregiver's life. I encourage you to take the time necessary for yourself to keep your immune system in good physical shape, to keep your outlook positive and your spirits sunny; otherwise, you will not be helping the people you care most about, but rather, you will begin to add to the problems that are already present. The meaning of this story is that the caregiver must be a little bit selfish when it comes to ensuring his or her mental and physical health - and ongoing ability to continue to be the family caregiver. So, be sure to take time for yourself - and don't feel embarrassed about it when you do. One way to reduce your stress is to increase your income. If you'd like to learn how to increase your income and your financial freedom, visit my website and I'll show you how. Get the FREE MaxPro Report and Audio.