Having to smile through the cracks of feeling overwhelmed. Everyone looking up to you, expecting you to be their warmth, comfort, support, and backbone.
When you don’t want to be sometimes. Sometimes you just want to be you. JUST YOU.
Not a mom, not a wife or girlfriend, not a daughter or an auntie, JUST YOU. All the needs of everyone else, but yours you neglect.
Which is why you’re feeling like this in the first place.
Take the time for some ME TIME. I had to learn the hard way how important ‘me time’ was.
For the longest time I was always tired, irritated with my kids, not wanting to be bothered with anyone, and not happy with my life. Overwhelmed with everything.
This is because of being so hard on myself, not taking any breaks, and constantly pushing. My day was done no later than 9 pm most days, and that was when the kids were off to bed.
I work full-time, am a full-time mom, do my hobbies (writing, taking walks) when I can, and work out at the gym at least 5 days a week.
There never seemed to be enough time in the day as I had to prepare breakfast, get the kids ready for school, make time for the gym, and prepare dinner no later than 7 p.m.
To top it off I have a boyfriend! So with allllll that I already have going on, I have to make time for him as well! Giving him the same energy that he gives me, pouring into our relationship as much as he pours into it.
And you know how tough it can be to balance your relationship and other factors in your life.
I was drained from it all.
One day I got tired of feeling so down and out all of the time. It dawned on me that I wasn’t really taking any time for myself to break away from everyone. I had been on the go for months.
Not having the energy to do anything, I even started feeling sick. Physically and mentally drained. One day I made the decision to take a day off of work.
It was the best thing that I could have done! The kids were at camp and my boyfriend was at work, so I took advantage of my alone time.
I went to a nearby nature park, as I love the outdoors and find so much peace there. It was such a beautiful park! The scenery, the smell, the trails, the water, I loved it all.
Walking the trail for a bit, I found a nice cozy spot on a sitting stone. I brought Michelle Obama’s book with me so that I could get some reading done.
I only got a few pages in as I was so relaxed and at peace that I fell asleep. There were people walking past, coming and going, but that peace I felt made them seem to be part of my pleasant dream. I woke up 2 hours later.
I haven’t slept that peacefully in so long, and I was so thankful!! I smiled while realizing that I hadn’t done so in quite some time. I was so refreshed and at peace that I could’ve stayed at the park for 2 more hours.
I took that peace that I felt at the park home with me.
Now I remind myself of this peace whenever I am feeling overwhelmed with things going on in my life.
I now communicate with my kids, letting them know when I need some time to myself. It can be 5 minutes or a few hours. This communication helps them to understand me more, and know that I need breaks sometimes.
I take mental days off when I feel the need to. I used to be a stickler for not missing any days of work. Often thinking of the company, I felt bad for taking days off.
But I don’t NOW! When I need time off, I take time off. If I am not at my best, then I will be no good to the company or anyone else.
ME TIME is essential. How will YOU implement it when you feel overwhelmed?
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