Badassery Magazine Issue 7 December | Page 32

HAVE YOU LOVED YOURSELF LATELY? BY TAMI MCCARTHY B ehind every successful woman is... a badass self-care ritual. It took me a long time to learn this, and to put myself first. Let me clarify that: it took me a long time to really and truly understand that I am a priority in my own life. Infrequent trips to a spa and once or twice a year vacations were not enough to sustain me, or recharge me. I had to make selfcare a daily practice. But it had to be easy, and doable no matter how busy I was. Becoming a successful entrepreneur has brought many valuable and hard lessons. As a wife, Mom, passionate creative with many interests, I had a To-do list a mile long, but didn’t have many role models. Yet, I firmly believe that mothers do not have to sacrifice who they are in order to be good mothers. That road is sometimes harder and lonelier, but also worth it for everyone involved. It’s become a hard truth in our society, that exhaustion and busyness are badges of honor that we flaunt, only to lead to stress and burnout. 31 Did you ever notice that we make sure our beloved smartphones are recharged, but yet let our own bodies run completely depleted for days? Women need to nurture themselves – emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally. I am one of those reformed crazy-busy people – I had fallen into the trap that I as long as I was taking care of everyone else, I was fine. That’s just self-abuse, and I needed to make changes. Taking care of my family and being “successful” was causing me to compromise my own health. In our quest to “do-it-all,” we forget the issues that arise from self-neglect are real. Studies have shown that women, who exercise regularly, eat right, get sufficient sleep and find satisfaction in their work and personal lives have less depression, anxiety, and illnesses, such as heart disease. But if you are like me: I was all too guilty of using the wee hours of the night to get more stuff done when the house was quiet, and I knew I