Things have been busier than normal the last few weeks, and I realized that I needed to take a moment and reevaluate how I’ve been spending my time.
This week I made a commitment to get the things that were necessary (like my arch-nemesis, Laundry) done while the kids were at school, so that after school we could play and go on a few adventures. Maybe this sounds like an obvious change, but I feel as if I’ve been so busy going through the motions, fighting to stay on top of work and family, that I’ve been missing out on enjoying both.
Interestingly enough, a close friend sent me an article about self-care, and it resonated with me. Self-care isn’t about going out and buying some aromatherapy candle or doing a face mask- it’s about doing things that make your life feel balanced and calm. For me, that means having time to go to go on dates with my husband, attending Forest Club with our eldest daughter, baking with our middle daughter, and playing blocks with our baby. If I don’t get enough time with my husband and our girls- especially one-on-one, I don’t feel like I’m living my best life. If the laundry piles up and the dishes aren’t done, it makes me feel as if I’m suffocating. Yes, this sounds dramatic, but I may or may not have a small case of OCD, and a house in disarray affects my psyche.
Committing to scheduling the things I don’t enjoy doing so that I could do the things I love to do gave me such a sense of accomplishment and freedom. Yes, I see the irony in putting freedom and schedule in the same sentence. I think this is one of those times in life where I’ve had to recognize that I have too much going on in my life NOT to schedule the mundane tasks that make life function. Knowing that those things will be done, and have a time to be done, afford me the ability to be more fluid with my personal time. This results in me feeling more present with the people in my life, and able to fill my time with more fun.
I know that I won’t maintain the schedule every week. I know that I’ll overschedule myself sometimes (this is kind of a chronic occurrence for me- overbook myself, do all the things, burn out, recognize I need to slow down and chill out, rinse and repeat), but I’m hoping that I can make it a better habit to make more time for joy and less time for stress. It’s not romantic to schedule life, but sometimes you need to create a routine to feel balanced, and to have room to be spontaneous. After all, you can’t throw away and replace every load of laundry, rather than wash it. Especially not when you have three kids!! And you certainly can’t jump in the car and go on a spontaneous road trip if no one has anything to wear.
Check in on Monday for tips on visiting Seville!