Lazy Days of Summer?
Summer, summer, summertime! The days are longer, my workload is lighter and I'm super relaxed! Except wait, I'm not! I've got a to-do list a mile long, I feel stressed and I'm mentally beating myself up because "summer is almost over and I haven't done anything on my to-do list!" Can you relate?
Here I go again, putting more on my plate than one human can possibly achieve, being hard on myself because things aren't "working out the way I planned". So what's a girl to do? Here are some simple steps I've used to get re-centered and in balance. They've helped me and I know they will help you, too!
Step 1: Acknowledge what you've done to yourself (again). It's really important during this step that we don't beat ourselves up for trying to be perfect or falling into the stress-trap that can sometimes be our lives. Acknowledge it, accept ourselves with love, and move on.
Step 2: Take 3 deep breathes. Make sure they are deep, belly breathes, not shallow, quick breathes. Those will only stress you out more.
Step 3: Let go of all unnecessary plans and to-do lists. There will always be things that need to get done. Most of them are not emergencies. They can wait until tomorrow, or the next day. Or the next.
Step 4: Do the summertime things you truly enjoy and that feed your soul. I love to swim, go for long walks, BBQ all my meals, go to the beach and feel the sand between my toes or read a book that's not related to parenting or my career.
Step 5: Remember, our children are only small for a short time. On our death bed, we will never look back over our lives, and wish that we'd re-potted those plants that needed re-potting or reorganized our closets. But we may look back and wish we'd made our sanity a priority or spent more time with our kids.
So, stop what you're doing, even if it's just mentally ticking off the things you did not get done today, and get centered. Do something you love. Play with your children. Literally stop and smell the roses. Enjoy the rest of this day, because who know how many of these days we truly have left? Life is a precious gift. Savor each moment as comes. Especially in the summertime! Somehow, the moments are just a little bit sweeter!
#summer #relax #lifelesson #breathe #meditate #presence #selfcare
