Self-Care Sunday Week #2: Relaxation
Finding ways to relax and unwind, as hard as it may be, I think is critical to our-well being. We cannot constantly be in a state of stress and anxiety. We need time to exhale, to be still and calm. How can we be the best version of ourselves if you don’t pause every now and again to regroup? Our bodies and our minds need rest, they need us to take care of them so they can continue to take of us.
I love getting massages, but finding the time to actual go and get one isn’t so easy. Last year I was pretty consistent with scheduling a monthly massage or facial and it was just what I needed. However, this year, as with so many other things, that went out the door.
Life has been so chaotic lately, running around trying to accomplish what feels like the impossible. Most days I feel like I’m failing. My house is a mess, weeks of laundry needs to be folded and put away, even more laundry needs to be washed and I have a super busy week ahead of me at work, not to mention getting my son off to school and arranging for his care after school while I’m at work. I’m sure most, if not all, of you know how this feels. How can I relax when there’s so much to do?
After working yesterday, I said “I think I’m going to take a bath” and my son said “mom, let me make it for you”, my heart melted. He made me a bubble bath and even added some lavender in it , however he then decided it was for him! Today, I got to take my bubble bath, but I couldn’t get my mind to power down, I tried but failed. I put my head back under the water so only my face was out, sounds got far away but as I started to drift into the peace and quiet my mind started thinking about what I needed to do the rest of the day so I scraped the bath idea.
Most days I feel like I’m rushing around and always in a state of “high-alert”, therefore, I need to be able to relax at the end of the day. Every night after everyone has gone to bed and no one needs anything from me, I make my self some sleepy time tea and a little snack, turn on the TV and relax. I usually watch what I call “mindless TV” shows that I don’t need to think in order to watch because if I have to think my mind stays in that “high-alert” state and I won’t be able to fall asleep. This is my nightly ritual that helps keep me sane. Before I started this routine I would often have to take Tylenol PM or Midnight PM to fall asleep but I knew this wasn’t healthy. I don’t think the sleepy time tea actually helps me sleep but I enjoy that time of night by myself, it’s soothing and relaxing.
I realized that relaxation doesn’t have to be some big event or something that I schedule monthly but something small I can do for myself daily, like drinking my sleepy time tea, something that helps me let go of the stress of the day and stops me from worrying about the day to come. So take a moment, exhale and find something that helps you relax, even if it’s just for 5 minutes.