How I Kept My Self Care Ritual While On Vacation.
I’m a big advocate of self care. I’ve been doing it as long as I can remember in different forms, be it - morning meditation, vacation to unplug, a massage, some tea time or retail therapy. I’ve always made a point to set aside sometime to myself. We can't give to our kids if we’re not feeling wholesome. I’m an island junkie, so my most favorite vacations are to tropical locations and I always opt for a room with ocean view. I get up, see the ocean and the sun, hear the waves, look out on the horizon and I’m completely energized and transformed. It puts me in that feel good mood, however while on vacation my morning ritual has always been to get coffee and head to the beach. I’d find a spot where I would sit and be one with nature. When my daughter was a baby, it seemed so hard to carve out the time to do. I would give my hubs strict instructions ‘so tomorrow morning I’ll be on the beach so listen out for her as you sleep’. I’d leave the hotel room and off I’d go, coffee and my spot. It got easier as she got older, now I tell her ‘mama is going to the beach for 5 minutes, stay with daddy until I get back’.
We just came back from a seven day trip to Mexico, my hubby and my two kids - (a toddler and a 8 month old). All through the planning I wondered how I would be able to get my ‘me time’ at my spot with two kids. I mentioned it to my husband who gave me a look like ‘what are you worried about’. I knew I had to leave them with him, there are times when he’s alone with them and it seems they are just so much fussier. I think it’s his way of dealing with them versus me. I tend to be more hands on and he’s the complete opposite. So the first two mornings I made it to the beach, got my ritual going and everything was perfect. The third morning I didn’t make and I felt stressed all day, four and five I made it there around noon. On the sixth and seventh morning it didn’t happen in the morning or at noon, it was sometime around three.
I realize it was though some mornings trying to get up and out early, I was on vacation after all. Instead, I came up with a strategy, I waited until my 8 month old was having his mid-morning nap then I ran, off I went. With a second child it was much more maneuvering, my usual morning beach ritual was now a noon time one or when I got 5 minutes to myself.
They say you can’t do too much planning around kids, I do the trick is to adjust accordingly.
Do you have a self care ritual? Let us know, comment below.
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