When just relaxing requires a major renovation

After a few days of blerghy-dramatic dizziness and migraines, I took the weekend to do what I am always telling other people to do (sigh, why is that so challenging, to be as bossy to myself as I am to my grrrlfriends?). I relaxed.

This time, relaxing didn't include unpacking eighteen boxes or stopping at three grocery stores and Target in an effort to cram as much into my down time as possible. This time, relaxing included sleeping in the middle of the day, eating take-out, camping out on the floor to watch a movie, sleeping in and then topping it off with actually taking a nap while Lil E slept.

This weekend, I tried to listen to what my body was telling me: Too little sleep, too little food, too little time away from the laptop, too little fresh air, too little transition time between work and everything else is not good.

My body, as I have learned the hard way over the years and much more experience with blerghy-dramatic dizziness and migraines, screams out at me when it needs my attention.

Clearly, when my body's that worn, my spirit and mind are exhausted as well. In that place, the relaxing is not a luxury, it is a necessary repair. While thinking of my being as plumbing or ducts or some kind of dilapidated kitchen constructed in the (previous) avocado era isn't exactly pleasing or in line with that whole temple connotation, the sad truth is that I have been more likely to give my attention and energy to a spouting sink or blinking fluorescent light long before I would take a breather in the middle of my day or trash the to-do list for a weekend.

I know this isn't anything radical and that many mamas out there have the same struggles with self-care. How do we not only lose the time and inclination to take good care of ourselves, but the understanding of where to even start?

This weekend, I started with the basics. And this week, I am going to make those basics more of a habit.

You tell me: What do you do when your body is screaming for more self-care? How do take the time to tend to all that needs to be repaired in your being?

Remember Project: Life Change? Have any of those small changes made a big difference in how you are caring for yourself these days?

Comments

[foodmomiac]

I think we need to head up to the Korean spa for an afternoon.

[Robin]

i'm in melt down mode. i've been working 60+ hours a week since the beginning of march, that much work means little time in the gym or at yoga and even worse eating habits. after a random breakdown this past saturday, i'm reclaiming my life. it started with lots of relaxing this past weekend (one of the few i haven't worked in a long time) and a commitment to taking care of myself again.