Sometimes I have to stop and put my health above all else and make it my number one priority, shifting priorities on the fly when the situation necessitates it.

One night last week, I was all set to head to a board meeting when it dawned on that I was absolutely exhausted.  Probably had to do with the fact that I work a lot and I’m always busy, juggling running a business with lots of other responsibilities.

In fact, my gut was telling me, “Wendy, you SO need to stay home tonight and give your body a rest.”  And rest I did. I read, watched a little TV, cooked dinner and hung out with my husband. Nice, relaxing, restful — and healthy.

The thing is, it’s so easy to let our health take a backseat, to ignore warning signs that we’re getting rundown or not feeling our best. And with numerous things to juggle, as many of us do, it’s no wonder it’s not always at the top of our list.

But when we do tune in and slow down a bit, there’s ample opportunity to be PREVENTATIVE, instead of reactive. Why wait until we’re really sick and then seriously down for the count, when being proactive can help thwart it?

I have a hunch my friend Paula Eder, a time management guru, would agree. Paula blogs over at The Time Finder about being proactive with our time to avoid those last minute emergencies that can cause us stress. There’s a nice parallel, I believe, with minding our time and our health to feel our best.

What about you, how do you shift your priorities on the fly to protect your health? What gets in the way and what’s worked in the past? Please share your successes and ideas.

Filed under: Optimal Health, Prevention, Time Management