Scheduling Time For You
Have you ever forgotten to put on deodorant?? No, just me? 😬
There's something about the hustle of getting ready in the morning while the kids are playing in the bathroom at my feet that causes me to forget one of the most important steps! And what's worse is this isn't the first time...
What did I do? Well, thankfully I work from home and so after drop-off, I could come back and remedy the situation, but I also put a post-it note on the bathroom mirror - DON'T FORGET DEODORANT!
That's all it took.
If reminding myself was that easy, I wondered what else I would like to remember.
Meditation
I can never truly commit to a meditation practice, but I have found that reflecting on the questions:
How are you feeling?
What do you need?
help me achieve similar results. I usually end up taking some deep breaths, tuning out the outside, and listening to my intuition.
But remembering is the challenge. So I'm going to try another post-it right outside the shower. That's something I already do consistently and is as good a place as any to check in with myself and get my form of 'meditation'.
It's Easy to Forget
As a working mom, or just a mom(!), you're busy. So many schedules and tasks and concerns take up your mental space each day.
It's easy to forget about the things you want to do. The goals, the practices, the habits that you have or want to create for yourself struggle to find space in your brain with everything else already there.
So instead of using your calendar or planner just to remember that tonight is swim lessons, or this weekend is that birthday party and you need to get a gift; why don't you use that space to remind yourself of the other things (dreams, goals, practices) that are equally as important?
The things that will help you relax, stay grounded, and focus a bit on yourself...
So grab a post-it, put a reminder on your phone, write it in your planner or on your calendar. Make it visible. And see how you feel with a gentle reminder to focus on you.
And in case you need some ideas of where to start, here are some of my favorite practices that focus on YOU:
Move Your Body in whatever feels good to you. It could be as simple as walking or using your standing desk, or as intense as lifting weights or doing a bootcamp.
Take Deep Breaths. Even if it's just three belly breaths. It changes things.
Drink Water. Enough said.
Ask What do you need? Make sure you're taken care of.
Check-in with your girlfriends.
Get outside and put your bare feet on the earth. Especially when you're feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
Write. Put pen to paper and write what you're grateful for or what you're proud of yourself for.
Play some music. Watch it change the mood.
Hug it Out. When was the last time you got or gave a really good hug?
Smile More. Things are stressful and sad right now, so a gentle reminder to smile at your kids, your life, yourself is important.
You might be tempted to start putting post-its and reminders everywhere. But too many reminders just create more overwhelm.
So instead, choose one. Whether from my list or from your own and create your visible reminder.
Then after a few weeks, you can evaluate. Is the reminder working? Are you feeling better? Does it feel easy? Do you want to layer on another reminder?
And if anything you choose is causing stress, drop it. No questions or justification needed. This practice should add value to your life and if it doesn't, that practice is not for you.
Lastly, remember, above all else, this idea is just an experiment. You're learning and collecting data to see what makes a difference and what doesn't.
So which reminder will you try? I'm going to start with giving more hugs, starting with when my husband gets home from work tomorrow.