By Dawn Onley

Happy New Year!

If you are like me and experienced a tough 2018, chances are you are so glad to see 2019! In the waning days of last year, I felt like I wanted to wrap myself up in protective gauze or saran wrap and just preserve my sanity for a little while longer until I saw that darn ball drop – forget a countdown. I’d been counting down the days since last summer.

If this is you also (and even if it isn’t), may this New Year be kind to you. May it bring you an abundance of joy, peace, and love. May your grandest wishes come true and your deepest longings be realized.

That’s my hope for you. But above all of this, I pray that you invest in something very precious this year. YOU! My sincere wish is that we all learn to take real good care of ourselves in 2019 – mind, body and soul.

I’m talking about self-care. I’m talking about putting ourselves front and center on the “to do” list.

As women, this isn’t something that comes naturally for us. We are so busy taking care of everyone else’s needs before we plop down on the couch, exhausted, at the end of the day, vowing to get to that thing that brings us joy … tomorrow. Always, tomorrow, or another time.

How about we approach 2019 by putting our oxygen masks on first before helping our loved ones to breathe?

How about we show ourselves some love?

What if we took a different approach and decided that the things we put off when we have time deserve our immediate attention now? I’m not talking about grocery shopping or washing the clothes, I’m talking about the things that feed our souls and bring us joy. The things that we want to do but allow real life to get in the way and thus we push ourselves on the backburner.

Wouldn’t it be great if we practiced mindfulness and being present in the middle of a bubble bath – instead of worrying about what we’re cooking for dinner tomorrow?

What if we lit some candles and put on some soothing music and just slipped into a deep relaxation? Or, how about we truly get our sleep at night – all 8 hours of it?!

What if we scheduled that massage appointment for tomorrow? And then scheduled another one for next month?

What if we decided to load our plates with heart-healthy veggies and decrease the meat? And take an extra lap around the block?

What if we decided to love ourselves with abandon?

What if we stopped smack dab in the middle of our work day to strike a few yoga poses? Or to start a poem? Or to read a chapter in a book? Or to watch a TED talk? Or to take a nap?

What if we said “no” when things get too busy? What if we said “yes!” to something we’ve been wanting to try?

Can you imagine the bliss we’d feel if we decided to treat ourselves to an art film we’ve wanted to see, or to a museum? Or, we jetted off to some tranquil beach locale to recalibrate?

What if we chose to be happy, and didn’t allow anyone or any thing to stand in the way of that happiness?

Wouldn’t this be grand?

Let’s make it so in 2019! Let’s take good, good care of ourselves.

This year, choose you. Choose self-care.

Over and over and over again.