What makes me feel better...?

"Take some time for yourself" is something people like to say to young moms, or moms of young kids. But how to do that is the question. And, I'd like to counter it with another question: is it always necessary? Case in point: I'm sitting here with a lot of things to get done around me. The kitchen needs straightening after lunch, the laundry needs changing, the kitchen floor needs washing (the chore I do on Thursdays), dinner needs starting, etc. I have 45 minutes till the first kid will wake up, and all I feel like doing is going outside to enjoy the sun and read a book. It sounds just wonderful. However, if I do that, I know from experience that I will come in and feel worse than when I went out (however much I enjoyed the time outside) because nothing that I was supposed to do got done. The house will be messy when the kids get up, I'll fret about what to make for dinner, etc. And so, I ask again: is taking time for oneself always the best way to cheer up? What about just sucking it up and doing the stuff we're supposed to, serving our family and in the process serving the Lord by loving our neighbor. I always feel better (albeit a bit more tired perhaps, but that is nothing new) by doing what I have set aside for myself each day. And, with that end in mind, I need to leave this computer and go wash the dishes!