I recently had a major medical scare in my life and had to have major surgery. Everything ended up turning out great, but it made me reevaluate some areas in my life that needed to be changed. I share this with you because it might help you in some way also reevaluate what is really important.
We are always being pulled in so many directions. I have 2 kids and a husband. I have a career. My husband and I have 17 siblings between the 2 of us, along with over 50 nieces and nephews. There is always something to do and something going on with graduations, bridal/baby showers, new babies, weddings, etc. The list goes on and on. As you can see, there's not much time for myself.
I started making some minor changes. I made a list of things that I really enjoy and that are important to me. I'm a list maker. I put things on there such as reading and doing crossword puzzles. (I know-I'm such an exciting person-believe it or not-I was the life of the party in my 20's). I started walking 5 times a week for 30 minutes and listen to my iPod. I actually really enjoy this time and put this on my list too. I got my iPod over a year ago and just never took the time to use it. With the help of my son and husband, I have over 800 songs on there now. This walk with music is such a joy to me. I get time to myself for 30 minutes and I am helping my health with stress reduction and hopefully-no weight gain. Why didn't I do this before????
Another thing I do is cut out anything that really isn't important. I get a lot of invites to in-home parties and used to try to make it to most of them if I could. Why? I don't know except to please others. So I started saying no to those(unless I really want to go).
I started enjoying the time on my deck and stopped stressing about the small stuff. The laundry will get done-sometime. The house will get cleaned-sometime.
My point in all of this is for you to live life. Don't put off anything that is enjoyable to you. You can fit it in. If you would have asked me a year ago if I had time to walk for 30 minutes a day, I would have said "No way." But now that it's a priority, and a good one, I take the time. Make a list of what you really enjoy and what is really important and start doing those things. Cut the unimportant stuff out of your life! And remember, if you do have a health scare, we have the best hospital right here on campus! IU Medical Center is awesome!
Thank you for the post Angie.
I have an immediate family member who was in a similar situation. It is amazing how something like that can really make you prioritize the things that are truly important in life, and how we should take full advantage of every opportunity to do things that make us happy.
You bring to light an interesting look at the "time management" problem that a lot of students face. There are lots of resources that describe how to use your time efficiently and effectively, but rarely do we encounter messages about taking time for ourselves. What an important message, especially during busy and high-stress days.
Angie,
I read this blog when you first posted it and have tried my best to live by it. So often, we live our lives for other people and you are right, it is important to spend our resources with those that are most important to us. Thank you for being an inspiration. I am glad to hear that things are well with your medical situation and that it has had a positive impact on your life.