Hi Honeys
How are you today? It's another Friday and as usual I have a couple of very busy shifts ahead of me. It's a busy time of year all around of course because we're now in the run up to Christmas. Would I sound awful if I said I'd be happy to hibernate till Spring?
Now I sound like the Grinch don't I? I don't have anything against Christmas itself dear ones but I don't cope terribly well with all of the overwhelm that accompanies it. At work that is, not at home. There is no overwhelm in our little home, it's my happy place. I work retail honeys and retail at this time of year with only a few weeks left till the holidays is all about overwhelm.
I was watching a Columbo dvd last night (it was the one with Johnny Cash as guest star, I ❤❤❤Peter Falk as Columbo. and Johnny Cash too so it's one of my favourites) well anyway, a thought drifted aimlessly through my otherwise happy mind that I had work today and how busy (and noisy) it'll be and I have to admit my heart sank a little.
You might have heard me mention honeys, how important self care is? It's vital that we take a little extra care of ourselves, all of us, not just if you have chronic health issues as I have.
You're so worth caring for dear ones but sometimes, especially in the run up to the holidays when there is never enough hours in the day to get through everything on your to-do list, well somehow self care just slips further and further down the to-do list until it gets forgotten about in the scramble to make the holidays perfect for everyone else.
It really isn't so difficult to head off that overwhelm at the pass honeys, to re-fill your happiness chest so that you can cope a little better with all of the demands of organising, cooking, shopping and hugging the holidays bring every year.... I adore the hugging part, that's my favourite bit and we already share that anyway 😊 You know the old saying, a hug is the perfect gift, one size fits all, nobody minds when it's returned and the only accessories needed are smiles 😃
For all those other holiday chores, you know what dear ones, we are our own worst enemies! We need to learn to delegate. OK, let's see a show of hands.... who knocks themselves silly every year doing the shopping, the cooking the decorating & tree fixing and cleaning the house from top to bottom for visitors and never stops to ask anyone around them for help? You see the problem?
Divide and conquer that to-do list. Write out everything that needs done and split it and share those jobs out. Split that list with your partner, with friends and with the children. Tiny humans can clean their rooms for Santa visiting. Why not set up an elf camera so Santa can see how helpful they're being and tell them they'll for sure end up on the "nice" list, hint: Poundland (Dollar stores) B&M Amazon and lots of others have Elf accessories this year including a perfect little artificial "Elf Cam" or why not make one?
OK, so we've decided to delegate some of the work of the holidays, and yes I know it sounds wonderful and oh so easy and yes I'm fully aware that we'll all still end up doing too much and feeling that overwhelm if we're not careful so.... I thought I'd share 10 of my favourite ways to practice a little self care and just take a little time to find our calm.
Why not grab a cuppa honeys (and maybe a cookie) and I'll share my favourite ways to top up my little store of happiness and smiles that lets me (mostly) avoid feeling stressed 😄 I'll see you back here in a few minutes....
Welcome back dear ones. Self care really doesn't need to be anything huge or even particularly time consuming. It's the little things that just let you unwind, step away from the world just for a while. Just enough to allow yourself to find your calm place, your quiet, no stress allowed place. Turn off your phone, the world won't end because you're not "connected" for a little while.
Why not make it a regular thing so that loved ones know not to call you during a particular hour because you're having a little "you time"?
Of course self care takes all kinds of forms and is different for everyone, these are some of the things that really help me when it all starts getting to be a bit too much to cope with, when my smile gets a little tougher to find. In no particular order then...
1. Colouring
I adore colouring! Becoming lost in the patterns or designs in a colouring book and slowly seeing something brightly coloured and beautiful appear on the page is just so relaxing.
You'll find so, so many different colouring books in Pound/Dollar stores, why not grab one or two honeys and a pack of colouring pencils (or borrow the wee ones pencils) and you'll see how incredibly calming it is.
2. Music
What would a world without music be like? It hardly bears thinking about! No matter what the task at hand is, I find it much improved by the addition of my favourite music Household chores? Making dinner? doesn't matter what it is, add your favourite tunes, those jobs will be done in no time and you'll be smiling so much your face will ache 😃
If I settle on the sofa (with my favourite snuggle buddy... but we'll come back to her in a minute) put on a pair of headphones and listen to whatever I'm in the mood to listen to at that precise moment... well I can literally feel my shoulders go down, my heart slows a little, and I just float away and find myself smiling.
With so many ways to listen to your favourites in our modern age though honeys, you're spoiled for choice. For me though, I prefer to keep it old school with my faithful little CD and MP3 players...
Hubby & I never did move away from Vinyl records either and still have quite a collection upstairs and wouldn't you know it? Vinyl has become trendy again 😃
Do you love your music honeys? Why not find a little time in the day, maybe in the morning with your coffee? Why not set the alarm clock 15-20 minutes earlier and have your calm time before anyone else wakes up? or at the end of the day before you go to sleep.
3. Snuggle with your furbaby
Remember I said I had a favourite snuggle buddy honeys? Here she is...
I can be having the most stressful day and one smile from our sweet furbaby Jade chases the stress away 😃 Now, it's not that I don't love hugs with my dear Hubby, of course I do, but we do adore our baby, she is the centre of our home and she's also my constant companion when Hubby's at work all day too. She always seems to know too when I'm not having a great day and when her Mum needs a hug, bless her ❤
Furbabies love us with their whole hearts and souls honeys, why not take a minute to hug your furbaby (if you're blessed to have one) to say thank you for that never-ending devotion? The world might let us down now and again but our furbabies never do ❤❤❤
4. Organise a home spa day
It needn't be anything elaborate or expensive. Maybe just time to soak in a lovely warm bath full of bubbles with a good book and a favourite candle soothing your senses or a face pack/mask (there are lots of recipes for homemade ones on Pinterest)
Choose something that will make you feel thoroughly pampered and spoiled. In other words honeys, treat yourself the same wonderful way you treat everyone else. Be kind.... to you for a change x
5. Read a good book
I just smiled, all because of that heading 😃 Just the mere mention of words like "books" and "libraries" and I smile like a child in a sweetie (candy) shop 😃 Of all the ways to unwind and to relax, reading has to be on most people's lists, am I right?
Hubby & I both have e-readers, and they're wonderful things, they store so many books and still fit in my handbag but there's something about the feel of a book, the scent of the pages, whether that's the fresh inky scent of a brand new book or the faint, slightly musty (in a good way) scent of those wonderful older books in the University library all those years ago.
Such joy, and that's before the book has even been opened and I disappear into its pages 😍
Of course there's something to be said for audio books too. As much as I adore setting out on the journey of a new book (or re-visiting a much loved one) meeting its characters and seeing everything in my mind as if I were watching the story played out on a huge, crystal clear screen, there is something wonderfully self-indulgent about lying on the sofa and having a story read to you beautifully.
Again, it all comes back to choosing how you want to unwind. It's supposed to be "you time" after all. I've spent many a happy hour listening to the James Bond novels (read to me by some of my favourite actors) the Harry Potter stories and the wonderful Mapp & Lucia novels. I've always thought I'd have loved to have lived in Tilling and been a Lady who lunches 😊
6. Crafting
Why not set a little time aside in the evening to enjoy your favourite craft or learn a new one? There are so many classes now teaching crafting techniques, why not pick up a prospectus from your local community centre or local college and see if anything makes your heart smile?
I like to knit sometimes and spent the longest time knitting little squares to sew together and make a blanket for our furbaby Jade 💗 If you'd like to try the pattern, you can find it here. Enjoy x
7. Gentle exercise
Whoa Rosie!! This is supposed to be a list of things to help unwind, you know, fun things! I know, I know, honeys but hear me out 😊
I've been stuck with a body that, thanks to rheumatoid/osteo arthritis, well it hurts most of the time, really hurts but there are two ways to deal with this, as all those living with a long term health issue know only too well. You can:
(a) throw a pity party, feel thoroughly sorry for yourself and give up, letting the pesky pain win.
or
(b) Move a little every day. You don't have to run a 10k every morning (although I am in awe of anyone who can) but giving up should never an option because that path leads to misery, not just for you but for everyone around you too. Misery loves company dear ones, don't give it house-room! Find your smile instead.
I recently started to try out yoga and I have to tell you honeys I'm ❤❤❤ it! I bought a beginners dvd, asked for some advice at the Doctor's surgery to see if it was ok for me to do it and was told yes (always check with your Doctor before trying new exercise programmes if you have a health issue honeys) then I put on some stretchy jogging bottoms & a t shirt and had the best time 😊
Of course I felt it the next day, but I did the little 10 minute class from the dvd again anyway and after a few weeks, has the arthritis pain all gone? Of course not, but I'm coping with it a little better and those very gentle little stretches I'm learning (I don't think I'll ever get beyond the beginners stage but I'm happy with that) they're helping me with the pain in my spine in a very unexpected way. Something about gently elongating the spine that I don't really understand but it's helping relieve my pain and for that I'm so happy and grateful.
Of course if you're blessed not to have an health issues dear ones then why not find a local sports club and join a group? Find something you've always loved or wanted to learn and just do it. You'll make yourself happy and maybe make new friends too ❤
8. Watch a favourite movie or box set or binge watch something you missed.
Some days just call for sofa time, a warm throw to snuggle under (with your furbaby if you're blessed to have one) warm socks, snacks and something wonderful to watch. Pick a long time favourite or catch up on something your friends are raving about, whatever it is honeys, enjoy x
9. Call a friend and have a chat
What could possibly be better than catching up with a friend? Life is so busy that time passes sometimes and before you know it, you haven't chatted with a much loved friend for a month or two. Make time to catch up honeys, it'll help you to unwind, you'll chat, smile, laugh and, best of all, you'll be making someone else's day wonderful too ❤
10. Meditate
Is what I do meditating? I really don't know. I do know it's helped me get through some scary times, including my first (and hopefuly last) ever CT scan.
I've shared on this blog before honeys that I have a small canvas print. It hangs on our master bedroom wall and whenever I start to feel overwhelmed, whenever I'm not coping so well or having a bad day, this beautiful print is my "go to" place, even if I'm not at home.
I've stared at this beautiful beach scene so many times over the past few years it's ingrained itself into my memory. I can, if I close my eyes, mentally step into the print, walk down the sand covered steps, onto the beach, sit down, feel the salt air on my face and listen to the waves.
It must be wonderful to live by the sea and this little canvas is one of my happy places on not so great days ❤
Over to you honeys, what are your favourite ways to practice a little self care? How do you find your calm when the world is making too much noise?
Till next time dear ones, smile lots and hug even more, huggles always xx
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