Thursday 25 August 2011

Nurturing Big People - listening to body talk

a day of rest...just what the body ordered!
As a mother, I spend a lot of my time nurturing my family, building my nest and feeding my brood. All of which I love. As a Massage Therapist, I dedicate an hours time to nurturing another and channeling energy. As a Hospitality Manager, I spend a lot of my work making sure people are having a good time and ensuring that my staff feel supported and encouraged, nurtured. 

So you see, there is a lot of Nurturing going on in my life. It is a busy life, as you will find the story with most mothers and parents. However, when we are busy, we often forget to nurture ourselves and we find it hard to hear when our bodies are talking to us.

I've been having some restless sleeps of late, and waking up feeling a bit stiff and cloudy in the head. Generally a big cup of Peppermint and Green tea lifts the cloudiness and some Sun Salutations stretch out the bed aches and stiffness. 
But there has been something lurking in the background. A little voice as barely audible as a whisper has been calling me.  
 "Rest. Stop. Breathe. Sleep".

And so today I awoke feeling even more cloudy and foggy than usual. My body feeling heavy, tired. And over that cup of tea this morning, as I noticed a feather floating down from a tree outside, I heard my body loud and clear.

"Rest. Stop. Breathe. Sleep".

This morning, I took the boys to school. I purposefully left my bag at home, so as not to be tempted to one of the cafes in town. I wore my bed socks and daggy tracksuit bottoms, so as not to be tempted to meet up with the school mums and engage in school politics. Today I will rest, stop , breathe and sleep. My body is telling me I am tired. It's been a busy three weeks since moving house, and it's caught up with me.

It is so important to look after yourself and give yourself the time to recharge your energy. Being a nurturer, you have got to listen to your body talk, and pay attention to the messages it sends. 

When you really listen, what does your body talk say to you? How do you nurture yourself?

Be Happy, 
Nicola

6 comments:

InkPaperPen said...

Good on you, Nic. Nicole from Planning with Kids refers to this in her book as The Burnt Chop syndrome. Mothers will give the best chops to their partners and children and keep the burnt one for themselves. I have to start nurturing myself more, I know it will make life better for all involved! I think tonight may call for an early bedtime and a book to cuddle up with. Thanks for the reminder!

x

Sannah said...

This is something I have been missing recently, and agree with you so much. I don't think it needs to be particulary time consuming either, just focused, mindful, and perhaps even a little joyful? Nice to meet you :). Sannah

Veronica @ Mixed Gems said...

This post resonates with me. If I listen to my body, it'd probably be saying the same thing. I tend to keep pushing until I get very foggy, grumpy, short-fused and sometimes even giddy. By then, my body is forcing me to stop and rest. But I really shouldn't wait that long. This post is making me realise I should be a role model to my kids in self-care as much as in any other area. Thanks.

Lizeylou said...

Oh I love this ... I think this is what I need to do. Between school, kinder, soccer, playdates etc it all gets a bit much. And I know I need the sleep!! Trackies and no purse for me tomorrow morning!!

Unknown said...

Many people don't understand that they needs to stop and listen to their body. i was one of those people until my body said "no more". I have working on listening more since then.

tahlia @ the parenting files said...

you are so right! RESt, STOP, BREATH, and my word, RELAX. We spend so much time as parents looking after everything and everyone else, we sometimes forget to think of ourselves. As i said on my post today, healthy and happy self, healthy and happy children.

Thanks for stopping by my blog as well. Glad we found each other :) xx