Looking for a Moment of Peace and Quiet?
You love your children but being with them 24/7 under one roof for almost a year can drive you crazy. Right? You just want five minutes of peace and quiet. May half an hour. Or perhaps an hour.
Remember those days when you used to commute, sit in traffic, and were able to listen to your favorite podcast? Don’t you just miss those days?
It happened to me ten years ago when my boys were two and three years old at the time. I had a full-time job, they went to daycare. The morning was chaotic, I still don’t remember how we managed to get out of the house. On-time! Then I came home from work, dinner, play, dishes, bath-time, bedtime routine….
Every day the same. Over and over for. After several years I told my husband, I need to get out for an hour. Just to be alone. Just do what I want to do. He said: “Sure. Of course.” My eyes lit up, “Really?”.
That is when I scheduled to go swimming two times a week right after work. Just these two hours a week helped me so much to clear my mind, feeling alive, and feel extremely energized. I was much happier and I had much more energy for my boys and patience with them. It felt refreshing.
Do you ever take a little time off?
Here are some of my favorite tips that can help you keep your sanity
1. “Me” Time
Spend ten minutes to an hour every day just on yourself. This is “Me” time. What do you enjoy doing that you just “do not have time for”? Exercise, yoga, reading a book, gardening, meditating, organize family photos, talk to a friend? Make time for it. Schedule it on your calendar. Make it happen.
2. Go Outside
Fresh air and a little walk not only good for your heart but for your brain as well. You will feel so much more focused after a short walk in the fresh air. Not sure how fresh it is under a mask but it’s still outside. Take your dog for a walk. Go around the block a couple of times during your lunch hour.
Cannot leave the house because you have little ones? Set up a small trampoline on your back porch and hop.
3. Join a Book Club
It is a great way to socialize and finally, you have a chance to discuss the book you were reading. No time to read? You will notice that you will make time to read, so you can be prepared for the book club conversation. Honestly, it was much more fun for me to meet in person, but now I can just participate from the comfort of my home. It actually saves time.
4. Clean the house while listening to a podcast
Here is the deal. The cleaning duties are always going to wait for you. Why not combine it with fun? Put your headset on and enjoy your favorite podcast. I even decided to clean my wood blinds, because the book I was listening to was super interesting.
5. Garden
Have you tried gardening? I love it! That is my go-to place when I feel super frustrated. No garden? Get some pots. The best way to get started is with flowers and herbs. You cannot go wrong with them. Rosemary will become a nice bush and it smells great. Rub your fingers on it, smell it. It will enhance your focus. Thyme, basil, sage, parsley are all-time favorites. Don’t forget the lavender.
6. Organize your closet or your spice cabinet
Maybe it’s not for you, but I personally love organizing. My cloth cabinet is always full of unwanted items, and the other day I threw away some spices that expired two years ago. Spices are great when they are fresh, for about a year, perhaps two, if you kept them in a cool and dry place. Smell them or taste them. If you do not smell them, or they lost their original color, they can probably go. Most spices are inexpensive to replace.
Tip: wash the jar and buy bulk. You can save money and guarantee you always have fresh spices.
7. Exercise
Make time for it. When my boys were little, I told them it’s mama’s time to exercise and please do not bother her. They were around me a lot to watch, sometimes they joined but eventually, they got bored and walked away. You not only get some quiet time and get fit, but you become a role model for your children. Find a good app that offers a variety of classes.
8. Bath-time
When was the last time you took a relaxing bath? I love to use Epsom salt. My ultimate favorite smell is the milk and honey. Just get a soak and clear your mind. Sometimes I read a book in there.
9. Try out a new recipe
Do you have some recipes that you saved for those days when you actually have time to make them? Go for it!
Or buy that fruit or vegetable that you have never used before. Find a recipe for it and have fun. Doing something new, creating something you have never done is not only a great brain fitness but also fun!
10. Journal
Journaling has been recommended by many health coaches and doctors. It helps you relax, organizes your thoughts, and remember the good things that happened to you if your decided to create a gratitude journal. You can write down your morning thoughts, your dreams, or your daily moments. You might want to do this before the kiddos are up or after they went to bed. If you replace half an hour of TV shows or social media scrolling for journaling, you will notice that you become more relaxed, more creative, more focused, happy, and you will feel the Joy of the day.
These are all the habits I created over the past ten years. The key is to make time for it, schedule it. The idea is to find something that makes You happy and gives you joy. Honestly, the journaling has been on and off for me, I tried multiple times. That is just not something I overly enjoy, however, I have heard from others what a life transformation they went through just by journaling, so I wanted to mention this here for you. Have you heard about dot-journaling? Look into it. It’s fun and creative.
Get your creative mind on. Find something that you enjoy and go for it. Believe me, your family, even the littlest kiddos, will give you the peace and quiet to make mamma happy. Did you notice how your mood reflects on the family’s happiness?
When you are happy, the whole family is happy!
