People talk about the calm before a storm but with the holiday season fast approaching, for many people, it can be more like the storm before the storm!
I hear mothers talking about all the things they must do during the last two weeks of the school term. Sports day or school plays, getting presents for teacher, move-up day arrangements, end of term parties and arranging holiday clubs and activities.
Others say they are busy at work trying to get ahead before their well-earned break when their plan is to just relax.
Something missing on their to-do lists is some regular time for them to relax and recharge.
A couple of weeks break from your normal routine should be a time when you are able to fully relax, rest and recharge your batteries. The pre-holiday prep can sometimes leave you feeling exhausted and you may find it hard to fully enjoy your holiday.
Regular breaks
Taking regular breaks whether it’s for a few hours, a day, or a long weekend is great for maintaining stability of your mental, physical and emotional health. It gives you the opportunity to:
- clear your mind of all the clutter
- physically relax and recharge
- increase your feelings of happiness and gratitude
- reconnect with something you enjoy doing.
Staycation
Creating the feelings you have after a good holiday can be done by taking a break whilst you’re still at home. Time and money are usually seen as barriers to this, but they needn’t be. There are things you can do that take up very little time and don’t cost anything. These breaks can sometimes prove to be better than having a long break and you can do them more often.
Make it happen
If you’re anything like me, if it’s not in my diary, it’s not going to happen! So, at the start of every month, after I’ve put all the important dates in my diary (appointments, clients, meetings, dentist etc.) I put in some activities that are designed to help me relax and recharge mentally and physically. I plan at least one activity a week and build up from there.
Staying on track
In the busyness of the month it’s easy to find ‘more important things to do’ so to help me stay on track I:
- Arrange to go for a walk with a friend. That way I will show up and an hour passes quickly as we walk and talk
- Book and pay for an event – a night at the cinema, a massage
- Re-book regular appointments well in advance – hairdressers
- Add something to a regular routine – add meditation as part of my morning routine
- Organise catch-ups with friends – in person, on the phone or via Zoom
- Plan a reward for after I’ve completed a challenging task.
By planning ahead you will see that it’s easier than you thought to have some regular time to yourself. Also, start seeing tasks that you do regularly as an opportunity to nurture your mind, body and spirit. For example, when you take your dog for a walk in the park, you will be getting fresh air for your mind, exercise for your body and enjoying the beauty of nature to nurture your spirit.
Planning something to look forward to will also increase your self-esteem and give you something to anticipate giving you those feel-good moments.
Before long, you’ll be doing activities regularly that help you to rest, relax and recharge on a regular basis without a second thought.
About Sharon
Sharon lives with her partner Geoff in Warwickshire and they have two adult children. She worked for over 25 years in an office environment, gaining qualifications to degree level in finance, business and management. While there Sharon witnessed and experienced many stressful situations and suffered illnesses that were stress-related.
Sharon was advised to make some changes to her lifestyle which included trying complementary therapies. After experiencing the benefits of complementary treatments, Sharon decided to retrain and share her knowledge and experiences to help others recognise and manage their own physical and emotional stress and anxiety levels.
She has been working as a complementary therapist for over 15 years now and loves helping people manage and reduce their stress levels to feel uplifted, focused, positive and empowered about their lives.
