Some me time

So I’ve written and rewritten this blog about ten times now and I’m a little frustrated with myself as I can’t quite find the right way to sum it up without going off on a tangent so I’ve decided to do it more in bullet style, that way I feel it will have more impact and be clearer without railing on and too many anecdotes.

Firstly as you can see from the title it’s about encouraging self care and taking time out for yourself. I’m targeting mainly mums working or not but it does apply to everyone with a busy life. As a mother you will appreciate by now (if your child has arrived into the world!) just how bloody hard this job is, no body tells you, no body prepares you, in fact I’m not sure anything could prepare you for parent hood. It’s good to know for your own piece of mind that you’re not alone. If you have a child that doesn’t sleep so do a lot of people, if you have a child that bites other kids at nursery, takes it’s dirty nappy off and smears it on the walls, throws itself on the floor screaming in the supermarket, then someone else has one too. But does it really help to know this, a little. The important thing is making sure you can maintain your sanity by taking time out. With that comes the guilt of not spending every hour you have spare with your child, for some people it’s really difficult to be a little selfish occasionally and tear yourself away, just remember you will be a better person and mother for it resulting in a happier household all round. So my tips for taking time out are....

• Daily 10 minute meditation/quiet time/still time - whether you actually meditate, use an app to guide you or just close your eyes, be still and empty the mind.
• Breathe - sounds silly but we don’t breathe properly when we are stressed and busy, so remind yourself intermittently (easier if you have an Apple Watch it reminds you) to breathe deeply into your tummy. Place one hand on your abdomen as you inhale you tummy will come forward and as you exhale it will return. Count in for 5 hold for 5 and exhale for 5.
• Plan a break or a night away with your partner, spouse or friend. 
• Organize activities with your LO where you are fully immersed and not distracted by anything else, make it quality time together.
• Take time to exercise - hill running/walking, gym, class, whatever you like just make sure it is prioritized, don’t make excuses, we can all find time if we want. Exercise is important for your mental health and wellbeing as well as your physical body.
• Re enforce positives daily - it’s essential to mental wellness to avoid negative thoughts about your actions and your body. Love your body and embrace it, we only get one so look after it. Don’t punish yourself for making a mistake or making a bad choice, it happens to all of us, have the conviction to own it and learn from it.
• Be in control - I don’t mean OCD, I mean be in control of you and your choices, write the list tick things off, achieve things, reward yourself and feel good about it.

So summing up, that’s a brief guide to keeping your head when all around you are loosing theirs. Resulting in everyone being a lot happier and a bit more relaxed.