We all have days or even weeks like this: the piles of laundry, the sink full of dishes, the unswept and unvacuumed floors, the unmade beds, the phone calls and emails to return, the deposits to be made and the checkbook to balance, the appointments to schedule, the errands to be run, breakfasts, lunches and dinners to be prepped and made, snacks to fix, boo boos to kiss, bottoms to wipe, and then… there’s your BUSINESS… and another pile of tasks to be done and a to-do list a mile and a half long. You might say, “Hey, I’m busy!”
Trust me, I know what all of that is like. I KNOW what it’s like to juggle family and a business, and then to add in time for yourself – well, that’s just ridiculous. Who has time to take care of yourself when you’re so busy? There’s no time for self-care!
Yeah, that’s exactly what my thought process was at the beginning of the week. And I know better! I know how important self-care, without guilt, is. It’s the core of what I teach people, it’s what I strive to show my kids – that you are important. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t possibly take care of others, blah, blah, blah…
I had some illusions this week, and an event take place that was out of my control. My illusion was that it was wrong of me to stop, be still, and focus on myself. I resisted. Boy did I resist! “I’m too busy to take a day off.” I would say. Or, “I’m so behind on everything I don’t have time to not get things done.” And, “People are waiting to hear from me.” All kinds of excuses and distractions were buffering me from what I really needed to do.
Three days I sat in miserable, uncomfortable overwhelm, beating myself up for all the things I couldn’t get done because I just couldn’t focus. Three days I wouldn’t let myself just be. I wouldn’t sit still and not do anything. I wouldn’t stop “doing” even though all that I was attempting to “do” was not even getting done. Sounds confusing, I know, sorry (I’m still catching up on some stillness and quietness, and my brain still wants to go at warp speed even though my heart says slow down). Three days it took until I was in so much of a negative energy that I finally took not only my advice, but the advice of several other spiritually close friends, and I made a shift.
I decided that instead of looking at my to-do list, I would just go sit outside. I did. And I did nothing. I read a little bit, but mostly I just sat there – quietly, in stillness, listening to and receiving guidance from God. Yes, I just said God (you can read about that here).
Do you know what happened? Within an hour, I felt completely different, closer to the calm, peaceful Pamela that I know I am. An hour. It only took an hour of quietness! Why did I wait three days to experience that for myself? Well, no coulda-woulda-shoulda from this girl, but now I know that next time I am having the same feelings of overwhelm and “busy”-ness, I will stop, be still, and focus on myself (sooner than later!).
Self-care rules! It is the BEST! Not only does it feel great when you are in it – I mean right smack in the middle of doing it for yourself – but it also feels great to come out of it knowing that you have lead by example, you have put yourself first, you have filled your cup up so that others can benefit from your overflow.
Self-care: do not EVER feel guilt for doing it! In fact, schedule it in – go ahead, do it right now (I dare you…*wink*).
With Love and Mommy Hugs,