If you know me, then you know that I am passionate about encouraging women to make self-care a priority. I mean, the act of caring for ones self, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. When you read physically, I am sure that you (like myself) instantly think in the sense of working out and taking care of your body image. Have you ever thought about your physical well being as it pertains to your health?
As I have mentioned before, similar to many aspects of life, self-care has been, and continues to be a journey for me. Some days the focus is on my physical appearance, making sure I am taking time out to go the extra mile for myself (if the mood strikes) ; properly cleansing and moisturizing my face, or giving myself an extra hour to straighten my hair. Somewhere down the road, taking adult “time outs” still wasn’t enough!
I realized that I still wasn’t taking care of myself. I was doing the daily shuffle and realized that I needed to reschedule my son’s two year doctor visit, as it had been canceled during the rise of COVID-19. Well, I received a message from my OBGYN shortly thereafter letting me know that I was long over due for my annual exam. I stopped for a minute to think about it, and I hadn’t been in almost two years. While I am well aware that life happens and schedules change, the take away for me was clear as day. It is simply unacceptable to neglect my physical well being and healthcare needs! Especially since I am adamant about keeping my family current with theirs.
So ladies, let me encourage you to please take a moment to sit down and make sure that your healthcare needs are being met. Including visits to see your dentist, gynecologist, optometrist, and primary care physician.
Before the month is officially over, in honor of breast cancer awareness, I wanted to remind you all to please schedule your mammogram if you are within the appropriate age range.
In the mean time get comfortable with performing a self-exam:
https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-self-exam
Not in lieu of being checked out by a medical professional; but with the intent to put yourself at the top of your priority list and incorporate healthcare into your self-care routine.