Permission Granted (To Care For Yourself)

Sometimes self-care is simply granting yourself permission to break from routine and heeding your inner instinct

The alarm goes off, it’s still dark. After a quick stretch, somewhat bleary-eyed - reciting a speedy thank you-thank you–thank you to the Universe, my warm feet hit the cold wood of the floor beside my bed and we’re off…off to start another day, off to grab a cup of coffee, off to wake the resident teenager, feed him, get him out the door for school in time, exercise, meditate, eat, throw in a load of laundry, tidy up etc. (you get the picture) and then off to work at my desk all day…REPEAT.Does this sound remotely familiar? The details of your list may vary from mine, but I would bet you have your own repeating pattern.Well today, I defiantly pressed snooze on the REPEAT regimen. While I did get up, rouse the sleeping teenager, grab a nice cup of coffee…beyond that I simply veered off course, went rogue and got back in to bed. Shocking, no?! And mind you it was a weekday (gasp). It was cold, gray and rainy outside – I decided to shake up my routine a bit and start things off the way I wanted to.I gave myself permission to relish in my morning – cuddled in my fluffy down comforter reading a good book. Disclaimer: it was a book I was reading in preparation for an upcoming interview, so technically it was work related, but none-the-less, I indulged myself.I’ve worked incredibly hard to redesign my life as an entrepreneur – to be able work from home – and ultimately to be the architect of my schedule. But frankly it was time to take pause and ask myself – who’s the taskmaster around here and what’s her problem? There certainly is a price to pay working for yourself and it isn’t for everyone, but it also has its benefits and one of them is getting to stay in bed and read a book. I’m a type A person to begin with. I like order. I like things tidy, but I also want to be delighted and to be whimsical.Do you ever find yourself caught in the spin cycle, constantly on the go? Perhaps it’s time to write yourself a permission slip to do something big or small. It may mean breaking away at lunch to see a friend, go for a walk, take a day off or pursue a hidden dream. Three years ago I was a closeted writer, stuffing all my creative juices into the corners and locking the door. Today, I’m the Editor-In-Chief of a digital magazine that lights up my life – I write every day. I’m crossing paths with incredible people and feel excited about everything I’m doing. That doesn’t mean I’m still not working it all out, or that I don’t fall off the delight-train as I move forward in turbo-charged workaholic mode, but you know what? I’m giving myself permission to rescript that - one reroute at a time.What can you give yourself permission to do – big or small?Permission slip granted.