Samantha McKenzie

Either you know a hard-working woman or you are one.

Most of us take on the tasks of just about…everyone. We take charge of the family chores because we trained others that we can do it all and, let’s face it, no one else really cares about the stuff as much as we do. We smile quietly as our boss bypasses over our counterparts and assign us yet another task. We tell ourselves that “it” won’t get done without us.

What’s evident is that our bodies are paying the price.

We sign up for working our minds and bodies into a stupor. But the truth is, running ourselves ragged isn’t really a requirement for being a good woman or a good mom. It’s more like the terrible side effect of being a giver. The sad outgrowth of having a “do-er” nature.

It’s really important to give this role back. No one will release us from it. Why would they? We’ve all grown so accustomed to this modern day concierge service called womanhood.

I may not be able to stop this pattern, but I want to try to help us add balance to it.

Take time to let your body recover. I need two recovery days for every day I work myself to the bone. The first recovery day I use to do nothing. Yes, nothing. It sounds unproductive, but it’s actually not. It’s the time needed to relax my brain and give it a break. The second recovery day is set aside to do something enjoyable and stress free. For me, it’s walks in the park, skimming through a month old magazine (I was too busy to read when it came), or something as simple as catching up with special friends on the phone.

Give yourself this much needed time. Pamper your body and free your thoughts of everything. Force yourself to take care of you.

Breathe deeply.

Find peace.

Learn to recover.