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The Boss-Girl Era is Over! (Thank God!)
The ultimate guide to taking care of yourself.
Exhausted, I‘m at the bar, bag thrown on the stool, wine, then another. Hunger pains from skipping lunch, I fix my gaze on the bartender. SAVE ME. The burger arrived, dripping with cheese and hope.
The mission: drown out work stress.
Binge TV led to restless nightmares about being late for work, followed by actually being late.
My boss said, “That’s the Spirit!” in response to my beaten morning appearance. The McDonald’s Egg and Sausage McMuffin in one hand and greasy hash brown in the other, a glimmer of enjoyment? Fighting through crowds, welcome to the sweaty morning rush in Sydney CBD. Maybe I’d stop for painkillers; my head is pounding.
One day, my body screamed like a wounded animal. Stabbing pains began to live within my body constantly. A flower-shaped rash spread over my stomach, and I could hardly walk from being so bloated.
And then it happened every day. I used to wake up feeling normal. Something had broken, and it scared the sh*t out of me. The doctors said, Oh, it’s “IBS”, or looked confused.
I’d hit my breaking point.
Can you relate? I see you.
I couldn’t ignore the signs (OK, the flashing giant alarm!) I wasn’t taking care of myself.
Somehow I forgot we are all worthy of relaxation, downtime, and self-investment; I joined the boss-girl crew without realising. I felt it was a woman’s job to handle everything and sacrifice my needs.
I had to tell myself, You are not selfish in caring for yourself.
Being a martyr is not sustainable; my perspective was off-balance. Growing up, I observed women running themselves into the ground. So I copied the blueprint. I had to re-learn a different way, like now.
People freaked out when I resigned from my job, divorced my first husband, and left Sydney. I still look back in awe that I finally chose myself.
These days, I focus on taking care of myself. I’m much happier, no longer in pain, and healthy, and I’ve never looked back. The rash is gone, and there is no more IBS. I look and feel vibrant.
