To say these are interesting times is about the biggest understatement I can imagine! I have noticed particularly how hard these times are for those of you who care for the kiddos as “the mamas,” and this is a shout out to you. I wanted to share this article that gave some comfort to me as I navigate these stormy seas right alongside you.
NAVIGATING THESE STORMY SEAS
The article here is great. I like the way the author talks about some simple ways we can take time for ourselves. I have personally tried most of those ideas. Let the kids drift off into their screen time for a bit as I sink into the sofa for a little screen time of my own. Taking a hot shower, even though I already had one today. Lots of long showers and long walks. A couple times, I needed that walk so badly that I didn’t even take the dog! I was thinking, “I’m just going to walk as long as I need to buddy, and I don’t need you dragging me down the street.” Ha ha.
TAKE A WALK, MAYBE DON’T EVEN BRING THE DOG!
This past weekend, I started off the morning working in my flower garden, which was really great and reminded me of why I love digging in the dirt so much. But then, even that was too much, and I just laid down on my porch swing and did nothing…like for a while! My music was playing in the background and I just didn’t get up until I really felt ready to return to life.
JUST REST
The point there is, we REALLY NEED SELF-CARE. Don’t try to be a master at it. Just give yourself a break, however that looks for you. If you have littles and you really can’t escape the madness, you can try one of these ideas:
- Take a breath. Count up from 4 on the inhale, and back down from 4 on the exhale. Repeat 3 times (or more if you can).
- Notice the space between moments. Even in the craziest times of our lives, there are pauses. At the top of your breath as you breathe in, you can pause. At the bottom of your breath as you breathe out, another pause. Notice how even a brief second pause can give you some space during these high pressure times.
- The 1 minute vacation. Let your mind drift off to a paradise you have visited or plan to visit one day. Imagine your toes in the sand or the smell of the fresh mountain air in your nostrils. Picture yourself floating on a boat or dancing the night away in some tropical place.
- Just lay on the floor for a minute. Sometimes just laying flat can take some pressure off your body that is working so hard to keep you upright and moving forward.
In this article, I like the comments about asking the family to pitch in on meal prep. I do find that mealtime is really a comfort these days. For us it’s only a half hour we can squeeze out of these teenagers, but it’s still nice.
And another aspect of this article I really like is where they talk about taking care of yourself and still being anxious anyway! YES! I agree with the author. It’s just a nerve-wracking time. It seems normal to me to feel keyed-up, nervous, wired, and tired.
To all you fabulous people being the Mamas out there:
Take a load off.
You rock. You’ve got this. We’re here for you!
Warm wishes!
Dr. Marcy Willard
