A Message from President Cheryl Bost
Our Lives Are Overly Scheduled!
Whether you’re working to meet job expectations, family expectations, or just adulting in general, do you, like me, check your calendar to know where you’re supposed to be when? Do you feel like you’re on a hamster wheel and you can’t get off because…if you don’t do the work, who will? When someone tells you to practice self-care, do you just want to scream?
Let it all out and take in those deep breaths. But don’t stop there, go into your calendar and schedule time—yes, actually block it off in your calendar—when you’re going to do something just for yourself.
Do you remember what it feels like to do something for fun that fi lls your bucket? I’m trying to practice what I’m preaching to get a little more balance in my life. When we don’t take time for ourselves, we’re more susceptible to illness, depression, burnout, and exhaustion. When we don’t take care of ourselves, it’s harder to be the best we can be.
I’m blocking off time in my schedule to have dinner with friends once a month on a Saturday night. I’m making time to call my family members and talk about things other than work. Once you start scheduling this time for just you, when you start to fall back into that overscheduled world of demands, try to reset and start again. Go to a game, take in a movie, read a good book, exercise (I’m working on this one!), or work on your hobby.
The hectic activities of this time of year and the cold and dark of the winter are real stressors on top of our already busy lives. Make sure to take the time and give yourself the license to do what you need to do to rest and recharge.