It’s a known fact that many women have a tendency to put themselves last. They expend the majority of their time and energy taking care of other people, such that they can become totally depleted and have nothing left to give to themselves. This phenomenon is common among mothers of young children and members of the “sandwich generation,” but it can happen to all of us. And for those of us who struggle with compulsive shopping or other addictive behaviors, not taking care of our own needs can set us up for exacerbating those issues.
This has been the case for me in recent months. No, I don’t have small children or elderly parents with failing health, but I also don’t really have a lot to give at this point. I have been struggling more so than usual with my health over the past few months and have also been investing a great deal of energy in trying to help a sick friend who is really in a bad way. I have also been spending many hours each week going to various medical and holistic practitioner appointments, which only seem to be eating up my time and money without doing much good. And I often lose entire days or partial days as a result of feeling just plain awful.
Beautiful Lake Tahoe, where I will visit during September (my dad’s photo).
Recovering Shopaholic 