Back to School – what are you going to do with your time?
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This is it, the school holidays are over! I hear you shout “yes, back to normality”.
It’s time for our beautiful kids to go back to school or some form of educational system. Kammie is going to college and I’m so pleased for her, she wanted Performing Arts and got her wish, it’s really satisfying when your children know what they want to do, or at least have a belief of what they want to do.
This is the week where change just kicks in, and Autumn is on the way so the even the weather is going to change soon. I’m looking forward to some quiet mornings now that Morggan will be off to work, Kammie will be off to college, no more “mum can I borrow your miscellar water?”, “mum have you got any cotton wool”, “mum when you next go to the nail salon do let me know” ….. ummm I wonder why??
My mornings are going to be quiet, very quiet. So I’m going to get back into reading again. I love reading and I think it’s a good opportunity just to spend an hour 45 minutes in the morning picking up a good book and getting lost, and this is also the time of year when Celebrity Autobiographies are being edited.
Are you taking care of yourself?
You promise yourself that this is the day.
The day that you’re going to wake up earlier than your kids so that you can get your morning run. This is the day you’re going to start your new healthy eating program. The day that you’re going to keep that appointment to get that much needed mani-pedi (it is almost spring you know). This is the day you’re going to take care of yourself!
You need to realize, before it’s too late, that if you don’t take care of yourself both physically and emotionally, you won’t have much to offer your children. You’ll start to let yourself go, becoming a robot with wrinkles who has completely forgotten everything that makes you the passionate woman that you are.
Women who don’t take care of themselves risk being overwhelmed and eventually burn out. It may seem like multi-tasking and juggling everything is allowing you to manage it all right now but you’re paying a high price for the constant on-the-go mentality by ignoring your need for rest and ‘you time’.
There is a direct correlation between always putting other’s needs before your own and how healthy you are. Worn, stressed, tired, beat down, frazzled… we’ve all been there and done it. How long do you think you can keep this up? When does it become time for you?
What are you going to do with your time?
Step out WITHOUT an Agenda
Take a stroll through the park, head to the seaside, or just walk around your neighborhood without anyone or any agenda to drive you. You don’t need to grab a shopping list every time you step out- this is your time and your time alone. Not having a plan can be completely liberating; instead just follow your heart and let the hour ahead unfold organically in tune with you.
Slow Down
Amid the scores of things to do and demands to fulfill, do you even remember what your morning cup of tea tasted like? It is quite common to switch into autopilot mode and go about your day focused more on the action than the experience in order to get most done, but this is a recipe for stress. So de-stress by slowing down being more mindful of the moment; slip you tea slowly or take your time getting dressed- slow down to rev up!
Bring Back the Rebel in You
Being a parent never meant you had to completely forget who you are; pure conformity to the expectations a role brings without paying any heed to our own individuality can sap us of enthusiasm and backfire in the long term. Try and integrate more of who you are without shaking things up for your children. You could whip out some old records or pick up that guitar again, create a home studio or try something different with your wardrobe- even the smallest gestures can go a long way to cheering and inspiring you.
Early Morning Quiet
Making ‘me’-time a habit is the best way to make sure you get some. My favorite time of day to slip some in is early morning, before the remainder of the family has even begun to stir. The house, the neighborhood, why the whole world is quiet, and here I can really connect with my inner thoughts and feelings.
Take a ‘Me’-Time holiday
It isn’t as implausible as you might imagine, and not every holiday needs to be a family one. Take a low cost holiday for yourself at least once a year. You could just drive down to the coast for the day or spend a night at your favorite spa, or just check into a swanky hotel nearby for a change of pace. It’s not how far you head, but how different your time and space away is.
Get Creative
Stay inspired with the best ‘me’ time activity that is guaranteed to keep you inspired- be creative! Whether you bake a cake or whip out your sketchbook, indulge in a little DIY or trim the hedges, being creative keeps your juices flowing and your feel good hormones topped up all while affording you some silent and productive time with yourself.
Do you have little one leaving Nursery and going into Reception? Or perhaps Reception to Year 1? Year 6 to Year 7? Or like mine is at college?
