Back to school

Now that the kids are back to school, take a little time for yourself. Let the dishes sit in the sink. Let the laundry wait. Vacuuming can happen later.

Take some time while you have it to refuel yourself. Maybe sit down with a good book, or soak in the tub. Indulge in some grown up TV, or rent a movie. Maybe even go out alone, knowing that your kids are ok for a few hours. Allocate a little time today to fill yourself up!

Blessings,
Kara

Balance

Stress comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes. It is not always the difficult things in life that create stress. For instance, my son and his wife and son came to visit from across the country last week. My grandson is only 3 months old. It was the most amazing thing to have them with us for a week!

When they come home we want to spend every possible minute together and end up staying up way too late LOL! Our time together also includes traveling to visit with extended family, and having our other children home as well. All of this means a (wonderful) change in routine.

Since I work from my home office I am accustomed to spending most of my day alone. As I am getting older I enjoy my alone time more and more. And I don't realize how important it is to me because it just is what it is.

But when that time gets interrupted my body is aware. My muscles tighten, I am exhausted (of course, staying up late contributes that that too!) and I find myself getting quieter and bringing my world in a little closer.

This is when it is important to practice some extra self care. I took a nap. I read a favorite book. I talked to my sister. All of these things have helped me to feel more like myself.

Self care is important in any situation. It is not just for when things are difficult or upsetting. It is for creating and maintaining balance. Try to incorporate it into your everyday life.

Blessings.
Kara

Practice

The other day I posted about taking some time for myself, calling it "Kara time". I was reflecting on that later in the day and realized I started referring to taking time for oneself that way when my daughter was young. She used to love to be involved in everything. Wanted to be in all the sports, and dance, and girl scouts and theater.... you get the idea. But with her mental health the way it was, there was no way that she could participate in all of those activities. If she had too many things to do in a week, she would have a meltdown.

I came to realize that with all of the anxiety she lived with, and how hard she tried to "hold it in" when she was not at home, she simply needed down time. She needed us to PURPOSEFULLY not schedule things for her to do.

She didn't always understand why we had to say no, but now that she is an adult, she recognizes her need and schedules the time for herself. She had "on the job training" for practicing self-care when she was growing up. We were there to help her understand the need, and brainstorm different ways to accomplish it. She figured out what ways worked for different scenarios, and now she is well-equipped to manage her life.

Blessings,
Kara

I'm challenging you!

This morning I took a little time for myself. I call it "Kara time". I sat on the couch and streamed a couple of episodes of a show that I enjoy. And I allowed myself to sit there and watch, and not feel guilty about it. And you know what? After that, I felt more than ready to go back to my office and sit down and work.

But it is not always that easy to decide to take time for yourself is it? And especially hard to not feel guilty about it.

At first I thought that I should feel bad about not getting right to work. I am, after all, running a new business and it requires diligence. But then I realized that if I didn't take a little time for myself, I would just sit in my office and be unproductive.

I decided that a couple of hours for me would benefit me in the long run. It would help me to find my motivation and clear my head. It would allow me to realign my priorities so I could focus better. I took a little time to relax and get filled up, and I am glad I did.

Today, I challenge you to take a little time for yourself too! I would love to hear what you did and how it helped!

Blessings,

Kara