LOL LOL LOL! Just yesterday, I wrote a post about waking up early to ensure I have time to do things for myself. To ensure I’ve infused myself with some peace before and during the chaos of getting everyone ready for school. Yet here I am, not showered and feeling more frazzled than I care to be to face the morning grind.
I didn’t get to sleep until way past my bedtime. Actually, I’m not sure what my bedtime is, which is something else I’m going to need to work on. I had an amazing group of women over last night for a new book club. We stayed up a bit late talking and laughing. [Yep, that was me bragging about having a group of beautiful women over last night to talk about a great book. Those sorts of gatherings really feed my soul — yet another thing to write about later!]
Anyway… shifting back to the morning grind. I did not get up early and I did not take a shower first thing. I had to get up and just start on all the things. As I was making the kids’ lunches, I was listening to some calming music. I have learned that no matter what I’m doing or what kind of day I’m having, listening to certain music helps my nervous system. I’ve been really into mantra-type songs lately.
Music wasn’t going to be enough, however. I could sense I was going to need more. I made a commitment to myself and it went something like this: “After I drop the kids off, I’m going to come home and do a session of meditation.” It’s something I would have likely done anyway, but by promising myself to do it, and reminding myself periodically I had a date with myself was actually sort of grounding.
I’m happy to share that I did indeed stick to the self-care mommy date with myself. I truly enjoyed my meditation session. I am learning that by sticking to the promises I make to myself, I begin building trust with myself. Or, perhaps rebuilding trust? …do I feel another topic brewing? Likely. Overall, this trust-building makes me feel safer inside my own being.
A self-care mommy date really doesn’t have to be a big time commitment. Just 5-10 minutes of pure ME time to look forward to is comforting. I used to think of pedicures, spa days, and massages as the way to “properly” do self-care. Those things are all amazing, but they can be oh so expensive to do regularly! And actually now that I think of it, I have a tendency to talk to the person that’s giving me a pedicure or massage. I feel in a way like I have to entertain them. Surely I’m not the only one that feels the need to do that??
Cherish yourself: No matter how chaotic the morning grind (or moment!), you can almost always listen to some music you know helps you feel more calm. And, you can always make a date with yourself to get in a bit of self-care. Just be specific about what and when, and stick to it because you are worth it!
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