As a part of my Eden Energy Medicine training I am required to travel to Phoenix Arizona periodically.
My first venture out into this heat-wave laden dessert territory was back in March this year.
I am always up for checking out a new part of the world, but what I didn’t expect was to be checking out a much neglected part of me…
I was booked for 5, yes FIVE, nights at a four star resort. I stepped out of my car, out of my world, into complete beauty. The sun has that soft haziness to it that all photographers are out to capture. There were doves cooing and fragrant jasmine wafting through the air.
I settled into my room and checked out the resort. Pools, dancing, massages, restaurants, tennis, golf…you get the picture.
I suddenly realized that I was in this paradise all alone.
WOOHOO! I AM ALL ALONE!
Here I was no longer on night duty. I could hang up my short order cook apron, put away my doctors kit, forget my negotiating skills and say good bye to my cleaning duties. I was child and husband free…
Oh the sweet rapture of it.
Each morning I rose early to go for a swim, a long shower and a quiet breakfast. At lunch I relaxed or went for a walk. In the evenings I enjoyed my colleagues and had cocktails and went dancing!
On the 4th morning, in my favourite breakfast spot I was relishing in the sweetness of all of this freedom and pleasure. I felt so emotional, I had no idea I was so lacking in this kind of self nurturing. The waitress came over and offered me some more hot water, I looked into her eyes and started to cry and said, ‘no thank you, I am just so happy!’.
I explained my situation and she looked at me and said, ‘oh mama, I know, I totally know. Us mothers, we forget, but we need to take care of ourselves too.’ Amen sista!
I cried tears of joy on and off the rest of my time there. I knew that I would no longer wait until my breaking point to nurture myself. I went home restored, rejuvenated and with another layer of wisdom etched on my soul:
If this mama is depleted, then I have nothing but fumes left for those who matter the most for me.
I go-go-go and give whole heartedly to my beloved family and alone time is limited. When I miss out on this sacred time with myself I get burnt out, I miss the whispers of my soul, what I need in life, what truly matters to me, and I miss the opportunity to simply know and enjoy who I am.
Now I can’t run away to paradise every day, so instead I find ways to incorporate that sense of paradise into my daily routine. And if I really need to, I can always look for those last minute deals out of town :).
Here are some of my favourite self care essentials:
- lie down on the couch or the bed for a minimum of 5 minutes without distraction 1-5 times a day (when I worked in an office, I would sneak to a private bathroom cubicle and sit in there).
- take a long hot shower
- go for a morning bike ride and stop at a beautiful cafe to sit and sip alone and read a great book
- go for a massage and stay in the waiting room for an extra 10 -20 minutes afterwards
- Put on a show for the kids and scoot back to bed with a cup of tea and a magazine
How do you nurture yourself? Is it an elusive concept or do you have some great self-care essentials in your back pocket? How can you find some peace and solitude everyday so that your soul is nurtured? Share in the comments below – let’s inspire each other!
Keep calm and shine on,
Maria
