Who’s looking after YOU?

(as published in The Western Weekender, Oct 14, 2011)

As I write this article, I am battling my third cold for the year – and for someone who used to be able to say ‘I rarely get sick’ it’s making me take a good hard look at myself. Yes, I have two small children who are happy to spread their colds around the family. But there’s definitely another factor at play: have I really been looking after myself?

Taking care of yourself should be at the top of your to do list. But for many women in business, the order is usually family, business, then last of all, you.

Ever heard the expression ‘if mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy?’. If you are stressed, your whole household is affected. Taking time out every day to do whatever recharges you, will make you better at meeting everyone else’s needs too.

It’s also easy to fall into the trap of being ‘superwoman’ – of course we have to do everything, because we’re the only ones who can do it right…right? Wrong. Let other people help you. Teach your kids some new skills (cooking dinner will be top of my list when my kids are old enough!). Delegate some tasks in your business to someone else.

And most importantly, life is too short to live it as a stressed out, unwell, tired and rushed woman. The ‘to do’ list will always be there, so don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll relax once you reach the end of the list. Create time in your schedule NOW and make it a habit to look after yourself as well as you do your family and your business.


Michelle Grice runs Dot Com Women, an online forum for entrepreneurial women: www.dotcomwomen.com.au