Pouring Into Yourself
Hey there!I've felt MIA lately. I've just been in a weird vibe lately. Not really feeling myself. Maybe feeling more like myself. I'm not sure.
But basically, I've just been super pensive, thinking through a lot of things, reading a lot of things, and just wanting to pour more into myself than into others. Sounds super selfish, right? I used to think so. But I believe that in order to be good and kind and generous to others you have to first be at a healthy place with yourself and a place where you're kind to yourself. You can only give out of yourself if you've been filled up.
So that's what I've been up to lately. I've been doing what I can to pour into myself. I even didn't really want to write anything this week, but felt that this message really should be shared.You time matters.I don't know why this is so hard to understand for so many of us, women! We feel like making time for ourselves is selfish. Or that if we don't stay with our high intensity schedule people will think we're lazy.
Let me tell you something. I didn't exercise hardly at all the last 2 weeks. I did a day or so of yoga plus some walking, but that was it. I didn't feel like going and doing anything more strenuous than that, partly because of period and girl cycle stuff. But also just because I was feeling burned out!
As much as I absolutely love, love, love this work that I do on the side of my full time nursing job, it's a lot at times! As much as I don't really even count it as work and get so much fulfillment from coaching women towards a healthier and more fulfilled life, I was still getting drained from the hours and hours of thinking up new things and learning new things and worrying about what next step I have to take to be successful. It adds up.
All that to say, even things that you enjoy to the depth of your soul, if taken to an extreme and done with an unhealthy mindset, can wear you down. And in those moments, it's so important to recognize where you need to turn your focus inward and cater to your own needs for solitude, rest, meditation, etc. It's not selfish. People will thank you for the time you spend for yourself because you'll be a better human being to them as well. So, you're welcome :).
So, here's a couple of things that have come out of pouring into myself these last couple of weeks...
A more focused mind.
I felt like I was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off for a while up until this point. Not necessarily literally, but my mind was going crazy trying to do all the things and do them well that I was doing nothing well! That's what happens when you have too much on your plate. But taking a step back, turning away from social media more often and turning towards more mindful practices has helped me focus on other things that are important to me. Things like my relationship with my husband! We've had such a sweet couple of weeks together lately, spending more quality time together, doing adventurous things that we hadn't done before, trying new foods, lots of snuggles. The list goes on. I've also been able to be more focused on my day job as a peds nurse and find joy and fulfillment from that despite my longing to be full time in this coaching biz. I'm getting there. But I've given up stressing about it because it doesn't make me any better of a person or any more successful.
Better sleep.
I've intentionally put away work and picked up a book before bed, which naturally leads to better sleep because my eyes aren't plagued by bright white light from a computer screen minutes before trying to dip into sleep. And also, my thoughts are able to turn off more easily and I've been sleeping more deeply and waking up more rested because of the intentionality behind listening to my body's and my mind's needs above other people's for this moment. Again, not selfish. Sleep is such an important part of your health! I'd say up on top next to stress control! And pouring into yourself, practicing those self care tasks that help you feel more amazing as a person, is so beneficial with getting better sleep. A couple of things to try to help...Turn your phone on airplane mode at a certain time every night, preferably at least an hour before bed. Eat enough at dinner to satisfy you. This is so important to helping you go to bed and not be thinking about food. Stick to a specific nighttime routine that helps you wind down.
New intentions.
I believe that, only when we're able to calm the noise that is business around us, will we be able to hear and respond to new intentions that come up, new opportunities to grow and be more of who we're made to be. During this time of turning inward, I'm learning more about what I want my life to look like, what I want my next step to be, and what that's going to look like. It's super exciting, and I can't wait to share more with you all very, very soon! But for now, all that to say that being able to slow down, be at peace, and not feel the pressure to go at the same pace every single day has helped me to be more open to new ideas! New and exciting ideas!
More attunement.
Lastly, turning inward and slowing down to take time for myself has helped me learn more about my body. I've been learning more, lately, about women's cycles and my own cycle in particular and have been tracking with how I feel at certain stages. The more I learn about the human body, the more amazed I am and the more assurance I have in the fact that our bodies are incredibly designed beings and are formed for such a great purpose! I have had my eyes opened even more to the fact that we can trust our bodies and that dieting and thinking so much about food is keeping us from this greater understanding of our bodies. So, all that to say, it's ok to pour into yourself. And it looks different for all of us! Maybe for you it means waking up and deciding to do yoga or go on a walk instead of hitting the gym. Maybe you start to pick up journaling in the morning. Maybe you say "no" to something you're asked to do that you'd only say "yes" to in the past from pure obligation. Whatever you do, I do hope you'll choose to take care of you in some way, shape, or form this week.