(ThySistas.com) How does your day begin? Do you find yourself waking up to a continuation of the previous day? There appears to be more to do with each passing day until the days run into each other. Yes, you are loved but not nurtured. You may even be appreciated, but not enough to be seen as an individual within your day to day life. You love your kids, and they are a priority. You love your spouse/partner, and they are a priority. Then there is your family, extended family, and friends and, you guessed it, they are a priority. Whether you work outside of the home, or inside, your work is a priority. Eventually, you look up and wonder what has happened to your schedule, time, sanity, and life. Why aren’t you a priority? The truth is others are a priority because you deemed it so, and you are not for the same reason. When you become the great go to it’s important to know folks are coming to you for what they feel are their needs…even if they aren’t needs at all.
When you get to the point of depletion, and not knowing how this has happened it’s time to evaluate your morning. Does your phone ring early with someone’s issues or drama? Do you get a chance to use the restroom in peace? Have you had a moment to pray, and collect your thoughts? If that phone is ringing from the moment you open your eyes, and you can’t even use the toilet…it’s time to set order to your 
morning. No, the people you love won’t like it at first, but they will adjust. You need to care for, and pour back into you. This much be the first priority, or all else will fall apart and you with it.
Decide on a set time to wake up, as regularly as possible, and don’t allow yourself to think about it get up. Set a time that is at least an hour ahead of the morning obligations of your home. If your family has to be up at 6am, you are up at 5am. This will allow you to start the day with you. With exception to the few contacts you deem necessary, put your phone on do not disturb until a certain time. This time should be well after the obligations of your home. Take the time to wake up, and tend to your personal needs in peace. This allows you time to gather yourself, meditate, pray…do the things that will strengthen YOU for the day. If you feel more time is needed by all means adjust for it. Try to have your morning beverage in peace. As the children, if you have them, in your home mature they will know how to fall into their routine without as much oversight. However, they will also be trained that there is a part of the morning whereby mom is not to be disturbed. This might seem rigid at first, but you will find that you are better equipped to manage your family when you have managed yourself.
About this cellphone…find a way to exclude it from your personal morning time. Social media will be there…attend to your needs. The drama and dilemmas of everyone that calls in the morning can wait, as starting your day with such in unproductive. This also bleeds into your time management. It’s very frustrating when it seems others can handle their business, and they will not allow you to intervene; however, they have no problem intervening on your time when you also have things to do. Remember, you are a priority. It is not healthy to start your day off with folk’s drama, foolishness, and supposed need for advice when in fact they just want to vent and dump. You can’t get that energy nor time back once it’s ill spent. Stick to your morning schedule. Those that are meant to be in your village will respect your boundaries, and still love you.
It’s beautiful that you want to be there for everyone, but you must remember self-care. Make the necessary adjustments to start your morning tending to self. This may also call for you to structure how your evening ends. Maybe you stop accepting calls after a certain time. You aim to have your house quiet by a certain time, and there is a cutoff point whereby it’s just time to rest. If every task wasn’t completed be gentle with yourself there is another day. Having time set aside for you is one way of rendering self-care, and you are establishing that you are indeed a priority. Everyone else will follow suit, and you won’t feel like an expendable part of the day. You are valuable, and important. The first person that must acknowledge such, and act on it, is you.
Staff Writer; Christian Starr
May connect with this sister over at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/christian.pierre.9809 and also Twitter; http://twitter.com/MrzZeta.