Last week was insane. I wasn’t quite sure why, but it was. People were crazy. My family was crazy. I started to feel a little crazy myself.
I only work part time which under
normal circumstances means that I work 4-5 hours a day, 4 days a week. Last week I worked 5 days and worked between
5-6 hours each day. Encountering all the
crazy people. By Saturday (my first day
off), I was beat. Physically and
mentally.
I came to realized that with
those few extra hours at work, everything had been thrown off, just a bit, but
it was an important bit. I wasn’t able
to grocery shop for the whole week (poor planning on my part), so I was more apt
to run and buy a couple things after work.
This pushed getting home even later.
Once I got home, I had to do the
normal tasks: straighten up, do the
dishes, cook dinner. Yet, after working
and running errands, I didn’t really feel like it. Things piled up and we’d eat soup or
sandwiches. Nothing too strenuous. I’d spend a little bit of time with Chas, and
then NGD and I would watch an episode of Fringe (I was too tired by this point
to watch more). Then bed and repeat.
Add in the norm, (church, homeschooling,
returning library books, etc.) and a couple of extra things in the week (going
to a farm to learn the ropes on getting the milk for my milk group, NGD going
to bible study with a friend, going over to our friends’ for Survivor night),
and the week was just so full, it was busting at the seams.
I know that for most, this is
the norm. Most people are in a
constant state of motion, running from one thing to the next. Rushing one child to sports practice, picking
another up from piano lessons, and then trying to make time for their spouse,
all while trying to stay on top of work, chores, bills, and basic
necessities. And it’s hard.
That’s one of the reasons that NGD & I work so diligently to plan
ahead and intentionally try to create margins in our days and weeks. Planning and prep really are the golden
key. I’m a visual person, so I invested
in a calendar so I can see those margins.
It creates a calmness and peace to know that they are there and that I
can take advantage of them without guilt.
Because without those margins
this week, I wasn’t just affected by the craziness of others, I was part of
it. Saturday morning, I told my husband
that I had realized that I had made little to no time that week to read, or
write, or color. I had journaled a bit
on Wednesday, and even though it was really only about 10 minutes, it had
calmed a raging headache and got me through the rest of the evening.
Women usually get a bad rap on
this. We tend not to practice
self-care. We spend so much time taking
care of others that we minimize our own needs.
We think that this will strengthen us, yet it actually does the
opposite. When we take the time to take
care of ourselves, we realize how much better we can take care of others. It doesn’t have to be a spa day every week;
it can just be a few hours doing something that recharges us.
Some of the ways that I recharge
are by knitting, drawing, creating in some way, reading a book, researching
holistic topics, watching a movie (by myself), or having a conversation with my
husband/best friend about what’s going on with me. There are many different things that will
work. It’s just about finding the right
way for you and actually making the time to do it. It is amazing what the results will show.
So, how do you recharge or
practice self-care?
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