This article is the (more or less faithful) transcript of my first podcast episode, which you can also listen to here.

You know as well as I do, when you’re a mom and an entrepreneur, you’re constantly in demand, always rushing to manage your business, family life, and social life as best you can.

We want everything to go smoothly and for no one to feel left out.

The problem is that we put ourselves aside.

We neglect our diet, our physical exercise, our rest periods.

We neglect our bodies, both inside and out.

We always tell ourselves we’ll catch up later, but years pass and new things keep adding up…

I’m not saying this to make you feel guilty, because I’ve been in this situation and I still find myself there regularly when I have projects on the go.

Yet there’s something that always brings me back on track, like a little bell reminding me: it’s knowing that the body and mind are connected and how easily we can develop illnesses when we don’t take care of ourselves.

My goal in life is to live as long as possible in good health and to see my grandchildren grow up (when I have them), to contribute to having a positive impact on future generations.

So I want to avoid getting sick, I want to prevent health problems by taking care of myself, and even if I’m not perfect in my lifestyle, I try to progress, one good habit at a time.

And you’ll tell me: I know all this, Océ, but I always fall back into the same patterns, the same schemes, and I always end up forgetting myself.

So today I want to make you aware of 5 things that keep you from taking care of yourself, so you can identify what you need to work on next:

1- You Don’t Prioritize Yourself

I know, you’ll tell me you have plenty of other things to do and that your family is your priority, that your business can’t run without you, that your clients count on you, and that you have bills to pay.

I know all that…

But what will happen the day you’re unable to take care of others?

Do you know how many people experience at least one burnout in their lives?

Do you know that these kinds of illnesses just hit you, and you don’t always have warning signs?

I speak from experience; when I had my burnout at 23, I was doing great until the day my body and mind gave up, just like that.

So maybe you’re one of those mom entrepreneurs who prioritize everything and everyone else.

In that case, you need to realize that this isn’t sustainable in the long run.

Be careful, the solution isn’t to change everything, but there are many small things you can do, and you’ll learn about them if you keep following my podcast episodes and blog articles.

2- You Lack Organization

The 2nd thing that can prevent you from taking care of yourself is your organization.

Or rather, your lack of organization.

Again, you’ll tell me we don’t have enough time in a day to do everything, and I won’t contradict you on that; we always have a thousand things to do.

BUT

That doesn’t mean you can’t learn to organize yourself better to free up time.

OR take care of yourself without it requiring extra time!

There are so many things we don’t learn in school or from our parents about organization.

Things I learned through a lot of reading, trial and error.

And today I know there are effective ways to organize our professional and personal lives.

There are also many misconceptions about methods to improve well-being; we get the impression that it always takes time or energy, when in fact, not at all .

3- You Lack Self-Confidence or Self-Esteem

The 3rd thing that can prevent you from taking care of yourself is a lack of self-confidence or self-esteem.

This somewhat relates to the 1st point about not prioritizing yourself.

Often we decide not to take care of ourselves because we think we don’t deserve it.

We wonder why we would be more important than our children.

We stay in the shadows because we don’t want to shine, or we’re afraid to shine.

We’re afraid to try and make mistakes, or we tell ourselves in advance that we’ll never succeed, that we can’t have our cake and eat it too… so we withdraw.

If you have these kinds of thoughts, know that the first step is to identify them, write them down, and dig deeper to find out where they come from.

4- You Let Others Take Over

The 4th and penultimate thing that can prevent you from taking care of yourself is letting others take over.

And how can you not? It takes a good deal of courage, confidence, and self-esteem to put yourself forward and stand up to others.

There are people around you who try to take over, and it’s often not intentional or malicious on their part.

The first people are your children.

Well, of course! They need your attention, they always have a thousand things to show you, to do with you, or that they want you to do for them.

And all you want to do is EVERYTHING for them because you love them more than anything and you want their happiness.

I’m going to tell you something: what your children need is for you to live as long as possible in good health, for you to be a fulfilled mom, a role model, the image of an extraordinary woman who manages to have a good balance and do good around her.

So take courage and organize your family time in a way that moves you towards this goal!

You know the other people who will try to take over: your partner, your parents, your family, your friends, your clients.

Again, they want your happiness, but it’s up to you to learn to say “no” when necessary.

It’s not easy, but you have to do it.

5- You Don’t Know when and how to Take Care of Yourself

The 5th and last thing that prevents you from taking care of yourself is that you don’t know what to do to take care of yourself, nor when, nor how.

The internet has become the Amazon jungle of personal development and well-being.

70% of the time, they tell you what to do but not how.

And when they show you how, the advice isn’t adapted to your reality as a mom entrepreneur because you have specific constraints that aren’t considered by the vast majority of coaches, trainers, and speakers.

So you don’t have to blame yourself.

It takes years of research, reading, and testing to understand the impact of the body on the mind and vice versa, and the challenges for us who are simultaneously women, mothers, and entrepreneurs.

It’s okay not to know what to do, when, or how.

But if that’s why you’re not taking care of yourself, you have no more excuses now because you know I’m here and you can follow my blog, the podcast, or call on me for support!