Having a challenging week?
To appreciate every good week – you need a bad week…
That’s my mantra at the moment, seeing as I am having a rather challenging few days…
It all began on Saturday. I started the morning feeling great. I taught my pre-natal yoga class, came home and then Alec and I began to clean and tidy the house (in-between entertaining the kids and ferrying them off to martial arts, parties and playgrounds etc). We worked all day, so I suggested we “treat” ourselves by having an Indian takeaway.
The only problem was I had a really bad reaction to it – and within minutes of finishing the final poppadom, I had to go straight to bed clutching my stomach. It took me the best part of two days to recover from my “treat” and now I’m nursing toothache…
Of course these ailments have set me back with time and sleep – both hugely important when you have three children, run a household and a business. And this has a knock-on effect into every other part of my life – the kids have been late for school every morning this week, I’ve mislaid shoes, forgotten notes and generally felt as if I’m playing a frustrating game of catch-up.
I often think it’s ironic that I work as a yoga teacher encouraging people to relax when my life can be so fraught and busy. But then I think that it helps me empathise with other mums and the demands thrust upon us these days.
From time-to-time I’ll read about yogis starting their day with 4am meditations and eating a strict organic Ayurvedic diet and I’ll admonish myself for missing my yoga practice that week or eating a stray cookie I found languishing in the cupboard. But then I also remind myself that I don’t know many Yoga “gurus” who have three young children and live in the western world – (ie: without the essential “community” to support them).
When I am feeling overwhelmed, I imagine myself having a dial – a bit like an old radio – and when there’s too much static it begins to hover into the “red zone”. So check out your dial and recognize that it’s the times when we’re busiest is when we really need to slow down and recuperate.
And to all those mums, yoga teachers and frazzled souls out there. You’re not alone – we’re all pretty tired and we all have times when it’s a bit too much and so I’m now going to walk the walk and talk the talk and do the Mums Magic Massage on my new DVD – to release tension and let go.
(Sorry about the plug – but I made this DVD to encourage mums to let go of tension and take a short time out from their day to look after themselves.
It will take 7 minutes and 55 seconds and I just know I’ll feel sooo much better afterwards. You can play it when your bub’s asleep, while they’re doing a jigsaw or simply in the evening to help you wind down from the day.
I put it together because as a mum (and a bit of a workaholic!) I realised just what I needed to do to help me come out of that red zone and put me back into the space where I feel like refreshed again. Good luck! Katie
PS – Let me know what you do to switch off…
