Overachievers Anonymous

My name is Lisa and I am an overachiever.
I know, I know big surprise huh? (: But, it wasn't until recently that I realized how that effects my life.
Everyone who reads this blog will agree, I can be quite critical. All of you have received my 2 cents in the form of unsolicited advice on a regular basis. But what many of you may not realize is I am about twice as critical of myself than anyone else (Although my dear hubby is a close second, but that is another blog). Now take a moment to process that...pretty scary eh? I think this is why I have become pretty thick skinned. You see, the criticism I receive from others pales in comparison to anything I haven't said about myself. But, as I continue to nurse myself back to health after being sick for about a month now, I now realize I strive for greatness in every area but one.. taking care of myself!! Let me get very real about my self-care. In general, I don't actually eat a meal until about 2pm. I live off of caffeine. I sleep an average of about 5 hours a night. I haven't exercized in about 6 months now (I calculated that the other day while dusting the treadmill!), and I really don't have a hobby...Not convinced yet? This is another thing I realized this week. My hubby gave me a gift certificate for a 2 hour spa experience for my birthday. It's been 40 days and I have yet to use it. Why? Because I can't seem to find 2 hours when I will allow myself to be free from responsibility. So, last Friday I took my first step to recovery. I bought myself a starbucks gift card!! This may sound sad to you, but I've got to tell you I think this is the best idea I have had in a very long while. Let me take you back to the days of my youth. When I was younger, for my birthday my grandma would always send me a birthday card and it never failed in the card would be a 5 dollar bill. I grew to depend on these cards because this would be the only time during the year that I would allow myself to spend it on something totally selfish and unrelated to my lifetime or immediate goals. So, this is what the Starbucks card symbolized for me. I gave myself some rules... if I used the card, I was not allowed to do any work, parenting, or household activities. I had to just sit and chill. So last Friday I woke up early, went to starbucks and just sat in the car for 20 minutes doing nothing!!! No work, no cleaning, no emailing, no worrying, no planning, NOTHING, I even set my alarm on my phone so I couldn't even worry about the time!! I haven't felt so energized and rested for a very long time..

I have set a goal that by January, I will find the time to enjoy my 2 hour spa experience. But for now, I will focus on baby steps..

So to my readers.. take a few minutes today to do something nice for yourself, because everyone deserves some "me time" even us overachievers!!

Love and Raspberries,

L