As I continue on my journey, I am acknowledging, without guilt, my moments that make me feel good or show growth. Last week I had three moments where I was proud of myself for letting go, not allowing guilt to consume me, and relaxing.
- Rest and relax. Many times we say we are relaxing but still our minds may be occupied with work, family, schedule, kids, to do list, housework, and other tasks. On Saturday morning we woke up early to be out for a 9:00 am parade. I usually like to have a slow Saturday morning and let the day come to me. However, after the parade I was cold, because fall weather decided to show up that morning. My cheeks were frozen along with my fingertips. I began cleaning the kitchen and fixing something quick to eat. Ran the dishwasher and said “I’m done.” I changed into some comfy clothes, put my rollers back in my hair, got my cup of coffee, and binged on a show. I eventually fell asleep for a nap and didn’t feel guilty. In result, my body and mind well rested.
- Release my control and let my children be. My son wanted to cook his own lunch using the griddle. Usually I’ll say, I can cook you something. SideNote: The struggle in realizing my kids no longer need me is real. But I knew he wanted to cook for himself. So he asked me what to do. I told him what to do, make sure he cleans, and went back to my room to binge. I was proud of myself. The mom in me is letting my kids go. He did an amazing job. The food turned out good. He cleaned the kitchen and was proud of himself. It was great for the both of us.
- Didn’t take ownership of my moms behavior. While out one day, someone came up to me and expressed how she didn’t have a good interaction with my mom. She asked how she was doing. Without blinking I said she is doing great. I just left her. Two things I was proud of. First my initial reaction wasn’t to apologize. Typically we feel the need to apologize and we had nothing to do with the situation or wasn’t even about us. We mistake apologizing for making someone feel better. No, that is taking ownership. Stop taking ownership for stuff that ain’t yours. Second she didn’t ask me a question until she said “How is your mom doing?”. Again I’ve learned to actively listen. Answer what is asked and stop giving up information when not asked or necessary.
Those were my 3 self care moments that made me proud. Gave me the confidence to continue, know I’m on the right path, and stay in the moment. At the end of each day or week pat yourself on the back for your accomplishments. Nothing is ever too small or too big . TGIF: SELF CARE IS ALL AROUND YOU
RosalynLynn
Be you so you can be free.
