Do you ever feel like your life is spinning out of control, like no matter what you do you can't seem to keep up? Has there ever been a moment when you wished that everything could just stop - just for a day - so that you can process all the things going on in your life? If you have ever felt this way, you're not alone. It's amazing to me, how many women I speak to, have experienced this feeling. It's as if a wave of activity has come crashing down on us, and before we know it, it's time to react, to move forward and brace ourselves for the next wave to knock us off our feet, before we have had a chance to recover. In my mind, this is when it's time to put on the brakes, take a breath and put things back into perspective. It's so easy to lose perspective of the things that are truly important in life. I remember when I was younger, I would tell myself that I would never have regrets and would always live for the moment. It was because I didn't want to be 'that person' who opens their eyes one morning and realizes that, it's three years later and I don't feel like I really lived any of them. I never wanted to feel as though my life has been a series of actions and reactions, forcing me on a path and not really knowing how I got there. I never wanted to experience that, but now that I am a little older I understand better how this can happen. Juggling between work, family, household chores, weekly errands and everything else in between, it is easy not only to lose track of time, but also to feel as though you don't even have time to take a moment and allow yourself to catch up, or think about life or set goals for the future. The question is how to break the cycle? How do you find time to breathe, and take notice when there is so much going on around you? The answer: you find a way. I think that everybody needs a place they can go to take a time-out and be by themselves, even if it's just for a little while. It could be the spa, the beach or on a shopping trip. Whatever makes you feel as though you can put the various elements of your life back in perspective, is what you should do, and on a regular basis. For me, it's taking a bath. I may be running like crazy throughout the week to get things done, but I make sure to set aside at least 20 minutes once a week to take a hot bath of almond, lavender and sage oils. That has become my thinking place, my sanctuary. To someone else it's just a bath, but for me it is where I go to sort through my life. By the time I'm through I feel recharged, calm, and even ready to move forward with whatever I have going on that day. It's true that this feeling may only last 20 minutes before I am back in the thickest of my life, and have to deal with everyday issues, but that's okay, because that 20 minutes allowed me to pause. Maybe all of my troubles have not gone away in that time. Maybe I haven't found the solution to all of my problems, but at least I feel as though I had an opportunity to catch my breath. It's funny how we sometimes feel guilty for needing time to ourselves. I'm not sure if this comes from our maternal nature, if we feel we should be the bottomless pit of giving, or if it is because there is always something that needs to be done, cleaned, hemmed, finished. Regardless of the origin, as the lives of women become busier it is important for us to take time-out and reflect on our priorities, gain perspective and treat ourselves to some simple pampering. It's a matter of health, a matter of well-being and quality of life. I think it's wonderful that women have the opportunity to make a solid and independent life for themselves. I admire women for their strength and for their courage, and I understand that some of us 'want it all', that we want to have a career, raise a family and live a good life in between. I admire this spirit, but I've also learned that sometimes we have to take off the superhero costume, and admit that we need a time-out from life. It's the only way we will ever feel the rewards of our accomplishments. It's the only way that we will ever feel as though we have truly lived.