I'm putting me first, figuring it all out.
The transition period really underlined to me that we don’t take care of ourselves in the most natural and raw way. We are always looking for energy quick fixes, we are never paying attention to what we are eating or know how to truly take care of our body in the most simplest form – movement and breathing.
What a season it has been! My life has been a whirlwind and I can safely say that the dust is NOT beginning to settle! I moved back to the states about a month ago now. So from moving into a rental beach house, trying to unpack and find all my belongings, building a home, switching IVF doctors countless times, to getting COVID it has been CRAZY. It’s been all these things that added up to me running around and not having the usual time to do my thing! I really crave the slow life but it was exciting to be setting up my new life in Florida but, boy am I overwhelmed.
It made me take stock of where and what I spend my time doing. My body has been taking the hit for the whirlwind life of moving as I could barely walk, my back was hurting so much. It seems to be where my stress goes! It made me realize that we don’t take care of ourselves, so I made the conscious decision to join a yoga studio. I’m nearly 4 weeks deep in my yoga practice, practicing it 6 days of the week. To say that it’s made a difference in my energy levels and daily life is an understatement, you have probably heard this all before but it’s because there is truth behind the words. You are checking in with yourself, you are checking in with God. It is rare for me to have a good nights sleep and oh, man have I been sleeping GOOD! Hot yoga is a Godsend.
The transition period really underlined to me that we don’t take care of ourselves in the most natural and raw way. We are always looking for energy quick fixes, we are never paying attention to what we are eating or know how to truly take care of our body in the most simplest form – movement and breathing. I have friends that are constantly going to the doctor for shots to give them boost when we can do this ourselves.
“Stop feeling guilty for resting, it is so important to give more to self and the world” -
- Sophie Dear
I knew that to pay attention to my body and really give it a reset with my daily yoga, I would have to say no to others. I’m so used to putting work and relationships before me but I’m putting me first and figuring it out. This meant that if my mom rang to ask me over, I’d have to say no I have yoga and will see her after. It means I have to rise early to make it to the early slot before my work day. Can it be hard to leave the bed, of course it can, but the hardest part is getting to the mat, once I get that far – the rest of my day falls into place. The busier parts of the day become simpler, as I know that I have checked in with myself and checked in with God, I’ve tended to the vulnerable part of my soul and my physical body.
How to put your body and mind first:
· Find what makes you feel calm: write down a list of what makes you happy and puts “you, first” . From a scented candle, your favorite season, your favorite song, solitude, a cup of tea, moving your body etc.
· Think of how you can fit this into your daily routine: I know that my body likes to move as it keeps any pain at bay, so I made it a priority to fit yoga in every day. Whether it is morning, lunchtime or evening, I fit it in to my schedule. If you like walks – set out a walk at one point in the day and stick to it. Pick one action that takes up a generous amount of time of the day just for you. You can do smaller things that boost your mood like decorating the workspace with colors and scents you love.
· Set goals that fit “you, first” into your day: When you have listed out what you want to fit more of into your life, start to list them into your days of the week. I like to bring down the amount of time I spend on my devices, so my rule of no screen-time for an hour before bed is a firm fav with me. Because I wanted to fit more yoga in my life right now, I turn off the phone and sit down and check in with myself and God before bed. You can start with it in smaller goals like 20mins before bed for a week then aim bigger!
· Evaluate yourself! After you do a streak of seven days with your new ‘you, first’ habit, note how you feel from doing it and use this as you WHY to stick to it for a whole month. I like to ask myself: which will serve me more: an hour on social media mindlessly scrolling or reading before bed, an hour more answering emails or an hour of yoga for me.
· Be kind to yourself: It doesn’t have to be perfect, life can tend to get in the way. But just as long as you make sure to fit in your : “you, first” moment for at least even 15 minutes of your day. Your moment can eb and flow in terms of importance, it can be way more important one day, and less on another day – and that’s ok. Thats life.
I loved writing up these points, as they not only help me but will help others like you. I got inspiration for this blog from how I’ve been feeling in life lately, I love to speak from the heart and what’s happening. But what I love is that the podcast I recorded with Sophie Dear was right on topic to how I was feeling – serendipity at its finest. (or God brought our paths together – our meeting was meant to be.)
She was working 3 days straight with no breaks and reached burnout, making no time for herself, never putting herself first. Her burnout brought anxiety to her life and needed time out from work which predominantly led her to leave her job in TV, it suited her so much in her 20s but soon it all caught up with her. She said goodbye and moved to Bali to live and breathe slow living. I can resonate so much with slowing down and embracing life differently.
"I feel like society celebrates busyness, like when we say to each other, how are you, and the responses so often, I'm so busy."
- Sophie Dear
I bonded with Sophie in so many ways, from her transition of busy to slow life to the pain & healing it takes when going through a divorce and her fire for passion, freedom, purpose and (of course) BALANCE.
You firstly can read up on what we talk about and listen to the episode here.