No more adulting today, please.
I am spent…
I think that is the best way to put it. Nothing mindblowing or life-altering has happened. Just all of the little activities of daily life have piled up, with a few extra little incidents, and have left me mentally exhausted, physically achy and well… spent. We just finished our son’s 10 day spring break (including weekends, which I count), are on week 3 of a new puppy and have had 3 months of having family visit. These (all planned) events, in addition to the normal trips, falls, long bouts of whining, poop incidents and plumbing failures that just happen in life, have just left me drained and definitely not my most pleasant or productive self!
Last night was when it hit me. My son fell while we were out walking our puppy. They were running, he was in flip-flops, he fell and scraped up both knees. This is not abnormal for a four year old little one to do, and it is not his first fall. But after his dramatic Academy-Award winning reaction coupled with the dog trying to constantly trip me as I carried him home, I found myself sitting in the bathroom with a crying boy with bleeding knees and I was clueless as to what to do next. How to do I clean out his wounds without hurting him more? A valid question for a rookie, but I’ve dealt with my fair share of cuts and scrapes. My brain was not functioning properly and I was not making him feel better. Luckily I had a wonderful mom friend I could call to help. (Thanks, Tami!) This was the moment I realized that I need to regroup and do somethings for me… things to get my body, mind and spirit back working together properly.
Hydrogen peroxide, antiseptic foam, a bath, 4 bandaids and lots of tears later…
(Enter self-care, stage right.)
So what am I going to do? Well, today my spent-self is going to drink my coffee and reflect a bit. And then I am going to up my self-care game. I’m going to meditate, do some yoga, reinstate my workout routine and get a much-needed pedicure! (Seriously, it’s always flip-flop season here, and my toes are not up to par.) I realize that while the last few months would have always been challenging, I made it harder on myself by not taking the time to recharge. Even for just a few minutes each day. Not smart, mama.
I am a natural do-er. I would rather just get it done than delegate or wait for someone else to help or teach them how to do it. But I am learning, in my 40 years on this planet, that these habits will leave me spent. And I’m not help to anyone then. So here I go… resetting a few things that I know will make me feel better. Food, sleep, and establishing some household systems are next, but I’m going to start with self-care. Because if I’m not taking care of me, it’s way harder to take care of those who depend on me. 🙂
What are your favorite (or necessary!) self-care activities?
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