The Benefit of Taking a Moment for Yourself

Have you ever wanted to start something new and the feeling paralyzes you?

Maybe your schedule feels like a choo choo train going really fast to who knows where.

Or maybe you are a mom that wants to start a new project or business and you have all these ideas, but wait….you have to change a diaper, maybe go to your current job, cook dinner, or pass out exhausted….. 

I have been there. In fact.. I’m currently there! HI!! I’m Heather and I own Core Mobility Fitness, a Pilates Studio in The Woodlands, Texas and I am also co-founder of Mama Care Complete. I also have two amazing sons, currently ages 8 and 10, and am a single mom. My anxiety was increasing, my mood swings were everywhere and I wanted off the train!! 

However, I found some techniques and tricks to help calm my mind and my body and I want to share them with you. 

There are some great ways to bring awareness and presence into your life so you can take baby steps to success. Does it mean we are perfectly calm all the time?  Nope. It does mean, we can take our life back one moment at a time until we feel joy, success, peace, and calm so when shit does hit the fan, we don’t lose our ever loving minds!

So…..

Take each thing by itself… 

Moment to moment.

The overwhelm comes when you don’t have enough time.  All we have is time… 

Mantra 1: I have enough time

Seems silly right? 

However, taking the time to simply tell myself, I have enough time reminds me that I don’t have to get everything done right now.  It helps me prioritize what is most important so I can experience what I am doing instead of getting it over with.

Grounding

My nutritionist taught me a simple way to go outside and ground.  I have my kids go outside with me too! You would be amazed at how well it works!

Stand outside in the grass with your shoes off.  Reach up to the sky and then drop your arms and fold over almost touching the ground. You can hang there for a moment if you like. Repeat a few times pretending to throw your worries into the earth. After you have completed a few rounds, sway back and forth and let your arms swing.

The kids love it and I have even done this with my whole block of kids when they have gotten crabby at each other and guess what??  They calmed down!  So cool.

Meditation

I know!! What?? Sit still!!!  I have always heard this works and even a dear client of mine referred me to Cory Muscara with @corymuscara and the Practicing Human App (highly recommend) and I did not fully dive in until I signed up for a weekend retreat.  It was online and the topic was something about taking your time back. I kept telling my client I did not have time to do this……He gave me a look…..I signed up.

What happened? I fell asleep a lot. Got bored…..Tried again…..But I knew I wanted to know what this was about and on the third day, I felt the flatline. That’s my term for when my brain almost became universally expansive and essentially flatlined. My internal voices completely quieted down and I heard no chatter at all. I focused on the sounds around me and just tried to be in the space that was created.

I committed to keeping up with a 5 minute a day meditation.  There are many apps and mentors out there, but I do use The Practicing Human app. There is always a short life focus before and you can pick how long you want to sit. I started with 5 minutes and gradually increased the time. It’s been life changing. It goes up and down and many times I feel like huh….Did that even do anything today? But then something crazy happens and I realize I can observe it and not get caught in the current. Does this happen all the time? Definitely not. I wish it did. That would be a cool super power, but it does happen and keeps me motivated to keep trying. 

Because in that space, I can see my kids and enjoy them playing in the mud, painting each other, or anything else they may do. These techniques I use because I did not want to wake up when they graduated Highschool and wonder how I got there. I believe there is a better way and I think as moms, we can support each other and help each other find that bliss.

If these techniques don’t resonate with you, that’s ok! Find one that works for you. Take a bath, take a nature walk, kayak, anything that’s just for you and your mind to settle. You are worth it. We believe in you!