Today, the idea of the traditional stay at home mum is changing.

Rising costs of living, and the increasing desire of women to work during their childbearing years has meant that there is an increasing demand being placed on women.

They need to have bodies like an octopus with numerous arms reaching in every direction, juggling the different roles and commitments in their lives.

Society has traditionally delegated the females, the wife/mother in the tribe to taking care of others as a priority.  Even those females who are single, still play a role as caregiver in some capacity – caring for aging parents, an elderly neighbor or a friend.

Men, on the other hand, although also having amazing abilities to do the caregiving, have traditionally been expected to be the providers; to leave the home, and leave all its duties therein, to the women.

The implications of this, is that women often feel overwhelmed and stressed, and put the needs of their family ahead of their own. The idea of making their health, their exercise, their body comes at the bottom of the list – it is a chore, another job that adds to their already full load.   And if this isn’t enough of a reason to not pay attention to ourselves, throw in a bit of guilt – how can we take time for ourselves? We should be doing….. what? Something for our partner or our family, or cleaning or washing or cooking or working? Being productive?

 It’s time to shift our thinking

It’s time to shift our thinking.

Throughout our lives, women are educated to show love, to give love and extend it out.  To do kind deeds, to show compassion towards others, to be generous towards others, to be of service.  But there is an age old saying, “charity begins at home”.

Women need to start showing love, giving love and extending it to themselves.  Being compassionate, empathic, kind, and respectful to themselves.  When women prioritize their health, they become more present, they feel good physically, emotionally and spiritually.  This is not being selfish, on the contrary, this empowers you and increases your sense of self worth, it broadens your capacity to love and to care.