Tis is the season for self-care
My little guy got his tonsils out last week, and the recovery isn’t going as well as hoped.
We are getting there, but the road is longer than I anticipated.
I planned the date for his surgery strategically and cleared my calendar for the week – I figured I was all prepared for this… but I wasn’t.
For me, there is nothing worse than your child being sick and not being able to do much to make it better. It is hard to see him in pain and having restless nights. It becomes harder and harder as a parent to maintain your patience and good bedside manner as you get more and more tired from the sleepless nights. I just wish I could yell “GO TO SLEEP!” but none of this is his fault, and I can’t be mad at him. So, somewhere, I muster up a little more patience, give another cuddle and cross my fingers he will fall back to sleep… quickly!
What this experience is reminding me of is the importance of self-care and being kind to yourself. I see my to-do list growing and get frustrated with myself that I cannot accomplish more. The dog stares at me and pleads for his daily walk that isn’t happening as frequently as he wishes. The Christmas decorations are calling from the basement to be hung with care, but all I feel is the fuzziness in my brain, the burn in my eyes from lack of sleep, and the desire to put my head down and forget it all.
Alas, I can’t do that. So I am baking cookies, cuddling, writing blogs, drinking coffee, and begging the dog for forgiveness. I give myself the understanding that I can’t do it all and that what needs to get done, will.
I am taking this time to regroup and decide what exactly I need to get done. What can wait and what can’t? I giggled today as I talked with my good friend, and we when asked each other how we are doing, our response was “fine.” And then we proceeded to dump on each other what was really happening in our lives and that things really weren’t all that fine!
So, I decided to google some definitions for fine, and this is what I got…
Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic & Emotional
Feelings inside not expressed
Frustrated, Insecure, Neurotic, Emotions
Feeling inadequate, needing encouragement
I think I like the last one best. With the Christmas season fast approaching and all the things that are expected to be completed, I am having that feeling of “aaahhhhhhhhhh! How am I ever going to get this all done?” I guess I am “feeling inadequate and need encouragement”.
We all need a pep talk every once in a while – whether we are encouraging ourselves or our friends. AND it is also OK for us to admit we aren’t superheroes (I know – it is hard to recognise, but it is true!)
I have totally lost my train of thought because the timer on the cookies binged, and I had to have a cuddle with my boy. Now I am amazed as he is reading this blog (we are 6!) So, I guess my distraction is a message to finish the post.
When you are feeling overwhelmed, may I suggest the following…
Go slow, reprioritize, cuddle, drink coffee, bake cookies, nap, cuddle, have a bath, reprioritize again, go to bed early and repeat.