In response to last week's post, one comment was: "The beach and playing with grandkids sounds great. But what if you're not close to either and you're working a 9 to 5 job that you hate? Not being woken up by hot flashes during the night puts me in a zen state."

No doubt this reader echoes what a lot of women feel. It's a challenge to find the time, energy or resources to get into taking care of yourself in the ways you might want. Sometimes the support of a friend is a start. Or has to be enough for now, as another reader wrote:

"I love spending time talking with good friends, over coffee or taking a walk. Even connecting on the phone works when our busy lives have us going in different directions."

If nurturing you is hard to do - for whatever reasons - make a commitment to take some time, even if it's only ten minutes every other day this first week. Put your feet up and read a book or just close your eyes and take some deep breaths. See it as a beginning - you owe it to yourself.