I find myself doing more and more every day, working late at night after my daughter goes to bed, struggling in the morning to get my day started, hitting snooze more times that I’d like to admit. Drinking so much coffee I’m hyper alert and can’t focus. I have noticed that this unhealthy routine I’ve gotten myself into is not only draining me physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Taking away my motivation and creativity. It’s hard lately to find motivation, even though I consider myself a very driven person, there are days where I feel defeated, drained, and overwhelmed. Like everyone else, I find myself falling into the spiraling pit of stress over prices going up, current world events, health of loved ones, and so on. It all takes me away from my creative self, making it hard to tune in with what allows me to flow freely as a maker, and quite frankly, as a human being.
A good friend of mine, who is an incredible psychologist and therapist, said that she always tells her patients to spend 15 minutes outside every day. Those 15 minutes out in the sun, walking, or just enjoying the fresh air, can have a great impact on one’s mental health. It really got me thinking, 15 minutes really isn’t a lot, but how often do I spend 15 minutes focusing on my wellbeing?
The last few months have been consumed with giving. In many ways I have been in situations where I have had to give a lot, and yes, giving is a beautiful thing, it is a wonderful place to be when you can give. But I am ready for a shift, my body is giving me all the signs I need to take action. I feel that if I ignore these cues, I am not honouring my health, my body, my mind, my basic needs as an individual.
Now, the real question: How do I carve out time to truly focus on healing and restoring my mind and body? How do I make this a constant practice and not just when I feel burnt out? I often think that I should be able to practice self care and look after my wellbeing more purposely than I do, considering that I am building a company based on self care and wellness. And somehow, I find myself stuck, not knowing what my soul needs, what my mind needs to restore, to find strength and motivation, to be in peace, to be in the moment, to find my avenue back to creativity.
In the next few weeks, I want to focus on finding a way back to a place where I feel grounded and restored. I want to make a commitment to carving out time to rest, even if it’s 10 minutes to meditate, or a 20 minute walk, or 1 hour away from my phone. Rest can look like so many different things and I want to explore as many as I can. Maybe I try something different every week, or every day. I am not certain how, but I do know that I want to, I crave this time to give myself the respite it needs.
I would love to hear suggestions! What has worked for you? How have you carved out time to focus on your wellness and what is your favourite practice?
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