What Happens When A Daily Self Care Ritual Is Missed
No Eating After Dinner Challenge: Day 21 & 22
Parenting kicked my butt the other day in lieu of a sick child. Being up with him most of the night made me really appreciate sleep. The next day was basically a wash because my physical body was spent and it turned my mental health into mush. What happened next was nothing short of fascinating.
I watched all my good habits take a nose dive down the drain. I made sure to do yoga and meditate to see if that would help keep my energy up. It did and it helped with my patience as well. When I am sleep deprived that is the first thing to go. What I noticed is how important self care is and how one aspect feeds off another.
The lack of sleep trigger my biggest obsession: being on my phone and social media. My phone was attached to my hand and when I wasn’t looking up more home remedies for earaches, I was scrolling mindlessly through Twitter and waiting for my friends to post new Instastories. My butt was parked on the couch for most of the day and by the time I got the kids to bed, I was toast.
In hindsight, I had allowed for zero time to let productive thoughts stream in which meant I would not be writing anything yesterday. The creative juices were null and void, leaving minimal words to my vocab. My most used phrases were “What can I get you?” and “I know it hurts.” I had to pour any remaining energy towards two of my children who were in pain.
As I have made strides to let go of multitasking, I had to reel in some of those skills because when two kids need their mom simultaneously, it is necessary to adapt. It made me very aware of how I had to be patient and explain to them that I was trying my best to give them both the attention they wanted.
While I couldn’t control the amount of sleep I did (did not) get the night before, it made me hyper sensitive today after a full night’s sleep how self-care in all areas of your life can positively or negatively effect your day to day life.
When I was a new mother, my sole focus was on the baby but part of survival is also about taking care of yourself. I wasn’t dialed into self care so much but I do remember noting that no matter what is going on I will take a shower once a day. The shower could happen at anytime but it was important to give myself a little love so I could be refreshed to take care of my family.
I have not missed a day yet!
My self care habits have evolved over time and will continue to change accordingly, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that I MUST put the oxygen mask on first.
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