Becoming the Happiest Mom: Look out for # 1

I started reading a chapter per day of the Happiest Mom because I discovered that I had not read a book in a few years and I wanted to jump start my love of reading. I was surprised to discover in Chapter 10 of the Happiest Mom, entitled “look out for #1, that Happiest Mom author, Meagan Francis has a similar experience - she realized that she had not read a novel in 2 years. 

Looking out for number 1, is really challenging for me because I was brought up to be always concerned about the needs of others.  Frankly, it feels good to be helpful to others but when the mind starts to deteriorate and the body breaks down, actually long before that happens, it is time to look out for number 1. I think that most women suffer from this need to give until the well is dry.   If we are married, we hope that

our spouse will see how tired and haggard we look and offer to take the kids while we recharge (a day at the spa, reading a good book, the gym, an hour at the coffee shop, writing a blog or the next bestseller). For some lucky ladies, the hubby will read the signs but for most of us, it will rarely happen.  Truthfully, it is really our job to take responsibility for our own happiness. Here are a few words of wisdom from the Happiest Mom on doing so:

• What you want is important and deserves attention.
• Drop the guilt, you can’t recover mentally and physically if you are anxious with guilt.
• Find time for the things that you love. If you have trouble finding time to read but you have a long commute, try an audio book.
• Happy moms project their happiness to the entire family

I recently wrote about my long overdue trip to the Spa but I don’t think that I mentioned that I slept through the 80 minute massage and facial. How is it possible to sleep though an entire facial? I clearly waited too long for that spa visit because my body was holding so much stress and I was so sleep deprived that sleep was my body’s only option.  I am back on track when it comes to reading and writing, now I just need to work on getting back on the spinning bike that has been very lonely for about 2 months. 

How do you take care of #1?