Every year when Valentine’s Day rolls around I have mixed emotions. I’ve never been one for the Hallmark holiday and yet I still want the excuse to go out to a fancy dinner or get a thoughtful gift. Though the problem with thoughtful gifts and Valentine’s Day gifts, in general, is that the older I get the less I want flowers, cards or boxes full of chocolate. The things I really need or want can’t be purchased at a card shop.
As moms, we don’t really tend to ask for the things we want. Maybe it’s time to ourselves. Maybe it’s the opportunity to put ourselves first even if just for an evening, a day or a long weekend. Maybe it’s simply by having the opportunity to take better care of ourselves.
Earlier this month I had LASIK eye surgery. It is something that I had been debating for years. Yet one of the biggest challenges for me was finding an optimal time to do it. I didn’t want to take away from the holidays or do it too close to a family vacation or around when my husband was busy at work. I started to feel like there might never be the right time. But the fact is that there is never a right time to take care of yourself. You should always be taking care of yourself. Whether that’s by scheduling regular doctors appointments or getting a surgery that will improve your quality of life.
Now that I’ve gotten LASIK I’ve really become aware of how important it is for me to take care of my eyes. When I had contacts I definitely did careless things like leaving them in too long or failing to swap in new ones every month. Now I have a whole new perspective on eye care.
How I’m Taking Care of Myself This Valentines Day
Treating Myself
This Valentine’s Day I decided to treat myself to new sunglasses. For years I’ve bought cheap sunglasses with poor quality lenses. Now that I have had LASIK I really want to make sure I protect my eyes in the sun.
Powering Down
Another way I’ve been taking better care of my eyes is by trying to spend less time on the computer and tablets. It isn’t always easy for me to unplug, especially with a job in social media, but I’m realizing the strain I put on my eyes when I’m in front of a screen all day. Just getting up and walking away from my desk for a bit helps and closing my laptop is a great way to remind myself that I don’t always need to be “on”.
Scheduling doctors appointments
Now that I’ve taken the time to take care of my eyes, I’m realizing the other areas of my health I’ve been neglecting. It’s time to schedule my yearly check-ups appointments and keep them.
Putting me first
As moms, we think of ourselves last. We are the last ones to sit down to dinner, we are the last ones to get new clothes and we are the ones who never get a sick day. Getting LASIK made me realize how important it is for my family for me to put myself first sometimes. While getting LASIK meant that my husband had to take care of the kids for the day, for our family it means a lifetime of mom not having to worry about contacts or glasses.
Valuing my time
Every day I gain time that I would have spent putting in and taking out my contacts. Those minutes in the morning where I was rushing to the bathroom to get my contacts in before taking my son to the bus. I’ve gained these extra moments throughout the day and I’m trying to be more aware of how I spend that time. Whether it is slowing down during the morning rush or closing my computer and focusing on my son when he gets home from school, I’m trying to value my time more.
Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be all flowers and hearts, it can be about taking care of yourself in ways that you don’t always do. I don’t know a single mom who wouldn’t prefer some time to focus on herself instead of a box of chocolates.
This is a sponsored post on behalf of EyeCare 20/20 who is providing me with LASIK Eye Surgery, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
You can learn more about LASIK Surgery, EyeCare 20/20 and Dr. Silverman by visiting EyeCare 2020. You can also follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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