So often, I hear from my friends that they feel either selfish or guilty or both for taking five minutes to themselves. Some of my friends don't even know what self-care is or allow themselves to even think about it. While stress is normal, chronic stress is not. In fact, chronic stress is linked to the six leading causes of death. I feel chronic stress played a role when I was diagnosed, at the age of 40, with breast cancer in 2004. I've learned to live entirely different without making others feel less cared for, less loved, or less important.
Once upon a time, I was that stressed-out, overwhelmed, frazzled woman. I gained weight because I didn't pay attention to what I ate. I had tired skin and dark circles under my eyes because I didn't get enough sleep. I didn't think I was important enough to be on my own priority list. The thought of being by myself scared me, and I often felt that I was at the whim of everyone else's important doings. Most of the time, I was waiting for life to give me an engraved invitation to participate... until I learned that no invitation was ever necessary. I turned my life around with seven simple self-care strategies and you can, too.
- Eat a healthy 350-400 calorie breakfast every morning. A cup of coffee and a donut doesn't count as breakfast. Try something more substantial that is full of vitamins and nutrients so your body feels satisfied and ready to start the day. As an extra bonus to eating a healthy breakfast, you may just lose a few unwanted pounds.
This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post in conjunction with our women's conference, "The Third Metric: Redefining Success Beyond Money & Power," which took place in New York on June 6, 2013. To read all of the posts in the series and learn more about the conference, click here. Join the conversation on Twitter #ThirdMetric.