Why Are We Such Martyrs?

By "we" I mean women. I am one of the biggest offenders, especially when it comes to sleep, but if a friend came over and said, "I'll take care of your kids for a few hours so you can get some sleep since you worked all night.", I'd jump at the opportunity! And on nights that I don't work, I stay up late to get things done around the house. Due to the fact I am temporarily a "single parent", there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done within a normal time frame. Every morning when I drag myself out of bed, I tell myself, "tonight I'm going to bed early"...but it never works out. I need to learn to relax and let things slide a little.

The same goes for sickness. Why do we refuse to take pain medication when we are in pain...and we have it on hand? Why do we refuse advice and interventions to help? Why not call the highly paid doctor on call to see if he can get us in on a weekend? Is it a hassle?...Yes, but is being miserable worth it? Is it a sign of weakness if we take it? We are NOT steel, we are NOT invincible...and help comes to those who help themselves.

This, I am slowly learning.