Taking Care of You
Do you ever just want to close your eyes and imagine you are somewhere else? What thoughts come to your mind? Where do you find yourself, and who do you find yourself with? Do you ever imagine time to yourself, if you did what you would do?
A few years ago I had the opportunity to go to India on a partial scholarship, it didn't take me long to figure out that I wanted to go. With me saying yes, it meant I was leaving my family for the first time. My kids and husband were awesome and so supportive. I was nervous, but very excited. I left my family for almost 3 weeks on a personal retreat. I spent time with children in orphanages, stayed in ashrams, stayed in silence for a couple of days and hiked up mountains that I never knew I could. The trip was profound! The biggest lesson I learned was how important it was to take care of me.
But, what if a trip to India or somewhere else is not feasible? What else can you do for yourself? Have you ever gone to a spa, yes men you too. Have you ever had a massage, gone for a manicure or pedicure? Or what about when the kids are at school or sleeping you take your favourite book and nestle away with a blanket somewhere and take whatever time you need to just read. I work from home with alot of demands so I really need to be disciplined with my time. So when I am taking time for myself, I write, journal, meditate and blog.
Often us moms feel selfish if we do anything for ourselves. Why do we feel the need to justify to people or even to ourselves. Don't let those feelings arise, never feel guilty, YOU DESERVE IT!! Women are just natural tireless caregivers, but as the airplane safety video says, “Put your own oxygen mask on first.” You can’t take care of others if you’re running out of air yourself. When I hear that video it reminds me how we should be in our everyday life.
For years we talked about moving to Newfoundland when my older children moved out, so this past year after my kids moved out, we sold everything and moved. I always knew in my heart I wanted to be here in Newfoundland. Driving across Canada almost felt like a release. It just felt so right and I was totally at peace with our decision. Arriving here was amazing, but soon realized how big of an adjustment it has been. I can adapt to any situation and nothing really phases me. But this move was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life.
When I started to feel overwhelmed, and stressed I said okay it's time to take 5. When you are having these moments it is so important to recognize and give yourself a time out. The first thing I did was grab my journal and wrote like 4 pages lol, and then went on a nice long walk. When I came back I felt better and my head was clear.
In closing, give yourself permission to accept help, and never be afraid to ask for help. It takes a village to raise a child and with a good support system you can do it.
Thanks for stopping by...until next time.
Much Love,
Shelley
A few years ago I had the opportunity to go to India on a partial scholarship, it didn't take me long to figure out that I wanted to go. With me saying yes, it meant I was leaving my family for the first time. My kids and husband were awesome and so supportive. I was nervous, but very excited. I left my family for almost 3 weeks on a personal retreat. I spent time with children in orphanages, stayed in ashrams, stayed in silence for a couple of days and hiked up mountains that I never knew I could. The trip was profound! The biggest lesson I learned was how important it was to take care of me.
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| The children and I from Matrachaya Gurukal & Orphanage, Haridwar India |
But, what if a trip to India or somewhere else is not feasible? What else can you do for yourself? Have you ever gone to a spa, yes men you too. Have you ever had a massage, gone for a manicure or pedicure? Or what about when the kids are at school or sleeping you take your favourite book and nestle away with a blanket somewhere and take whatever time you need to just read. I work from home with alot of demands so I really need to be disciplined with my time. So when I am taking time for myself, I write, journal, meditate and blog.
Often us moms feel selfish if we do anything for ourselves. Why do we feel the need to justify to people or even to ourselves. Don't let those feelings arise, never feel guilty, YOU DESERVE IT!! Women are just natural tireless caregivers, but as the airplane safety video says, “Put your own oxygen mask on first.” You can’t take care of others if you’re running out of air yourself. When I hear that video it reminds me how we should be in our everyday life.
For years we talked about moving to Newfoundland when my older children moved out, so this past year after my kids moved out, we sold everything and moved. I always knew in my heart I wanted to be here in Newfoundland. Driving across Canada almost felt like a release. It just felt so right and I was totally at peace with our decision. Arriving here was amazing, but soon realized how big of an adjustment it has been. I can adapt to any situation and nothing really phases me. But this move was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life.
When I started to feel overwhelmed, and stressed I said okay it's time to take 5. When you are having these moments it is so important to recognize and give yourself a time out. The first thing I did was grab my journal and wrote like 4 pages lol, and then went on a nice long walk. When I came back I felt better and my head was clear.
In closing, give yourself permission to accept help, and never be afraid to ask for help. It takes a village to raise a child and with a good support system you can do it.
Thanks for stopping by...until next time.
Much Love,
Shelley
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