We’ve all heard the idea that self-care is important. But sometimes it can feel selfish, or even worse, like a burden. I personally found this to be true when my twins were born. Having children, though they are an incredible blessing, is like throwing caution to the wind when it comes to self-care. While I am a huge proponent for self-care, I found myself running into the conundrum of feeling like it was more effort than it was worth. But the saying, “You can’t pour from an empty cup” came and hit me in the face, quite hard, after a few months of running on empty (sleep deprivation didn’t help, either).

Sometimes, the thought of scheduling self-care stressed me out to the point that I just let go of the idea of it. And I actually felt better when I stopped caring about my own needs; for a time. I felt like I had more mental space in my life, which was a relief. Surprise! That feeling didn’t last long. The long days, the no “me time” – it started to take a toll.