What does extreme self-care mean? It means taking great care of ourselves so that we are able to offer our best selves – rather than our tired, worn-out selves – to others. In modern society, we women tend to do too much. Along with our careers and everything else that is required of us, we are responsible for taking care of our families. As Creative Female Entrepreneurs, we need instead to slow down and take care of ourselves. We need to be in touch with our creativity and hear the voice of our soul. So as to show up fully to ourselves and our communities, we must not lose sight of what is truly important to us.

One of the ways to take care of our needs is to be clear on what our needs are. We have many needs as human beings-the need for connection and contribution, the need to relax and have fun, to name just a few. Sometimes we think that survival needs are the most important ones, but if we want to thrive in our lives, relaxing and taking time for our lives is just as important as putting dinner on the table for our children.

We can meet some of our needs through our careers. For example, if contributing and making a difference is one of your important needs, then you can design your life work so that you meet that need. Taking time to find the work that will bring you joy and satisfaction is one way to take extreme care of yourself. Another way would be to carve out time for relaxation and fun.

Choose one thing that you like to do for fun and make a decision to do it this week. If you are saying, “But I don’t have enough time,” then really ask yourself what you can drop from your schedule so that you have enough time to do what will bring you joy. Is there some internal belief that may be holding you back? Do you believe that you deserve to give yourself just as much time, care, and attention as you give everyone else? If you do, then yes, pick up your day timer and slot in time for the activity that will bring you joy. Let me know how it goes. I would love to hear about your journey.