Well, I can’t believe we are at the end of July already and over halfway through winter. I’ve had loads of blog ideas floating around in my head all month. But I’m finally putting pen to paper, or in this case fingers to keys.
If you are reading this, our second blog post, thank you. As mentioned in our first episode this is a creative outlet for me, Amie. I used to write a lot when I was in school and even won a few creative writing competitions. But as you know, life can sometimes get in the way of doing the things we love. So here I am to share my ramblings about life, motherhood, homeschooling, low tox living and everything in between.
WHAT’S BEEN ON MY MIND LATELY?
Something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is self care. And when I say self care, I don’t mean bubble baths, massages and weekends away. What I mean is the small habits we incorporate into our daily lives to make sure we are nourishing and supporting our nervous systems.
I heard a saying the other day that really summed this up for me. It went kind of like this:
“Don’t feel guilty for looking after yourself,
feel guilty about the person you’ll be if you don’t!”.
It really stuck with me. I’ve been investing a bit of time into this lately and I’m not going to lie, I often do feel guilty about it.
We are living in a world that rewards hustle. Rushing feels productive and is even applauded. How often have you heard someone say “oh I’m soooo busy” and it is often said like it’s something to be celebrated. Busyness feels like it is a badge of honour. But when we move from one thing to the next without pause, we send signals to our brain that we might be under threat. The nervous system goes on high alert and causes a spike in our cortisol and adrenalin. The to-do list might get ticked off, but what is the cost? The truth is, rushing often leads to redoing, forgetting or feeling exhausted.
WHAT IS THE NERVOUS SYSTEM?
Simply put, the nervous system is our body’s communication network. It’s what allows our brain and body to talk to each other. Our nervous system is made up of our brain, spinal cord and nerves. It controls everything - how we think, feel, move and respond to the world around us.
When we slow down, we do things with clarity, we feel more connected, we respond instead of react and we even make fewer mistakes so in reality end up buying ourselves more time.
As you can probably tell, I love a good quote and here’s one of my favs from a classic 80s movie:
”Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and
look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Who knew they had “mindfulness” all figured out in the 80s. Bonus, if you know what movie this is from.
PERFECTING THE ART OF “POTTERING”
In her new book “I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You”, Miranda Hart writes about “intentional pottering”, not to be confused with the art of “pottery” (also a great nervous regulation tool, I’m told). She describes it as “moving deliberately in the opposite pace to the frantic world, to have time to breathe and absorb all around”.
Do you remember your Mum or Nana saying “I’ve just been pottering in the garden this afternoon” or “Oh I’m just going to potter round the house today”.
Miranda recommends experimenting with pottering by slowing down your walking pace getting from A to B, doing daily household tasks more slowly, pausing and taking three deep breaths before you check your messages. I can confirm that all these little habits do make a difference.
I know, I know, this all sounds wonderful but perhaps a bit impractical. But here’s the thing, self care doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive.
Some of my favourite ways to look after myself and support my nervous system lately are:
- Natural light in the mornings.
- Barefoot as often as possible - you’ll be amazed how a 5 minute walk around the garden with your shoes off can change your mood;
- Getting your hands in the dirt - even 10 minutes a day pulling weeds in the garden;
- Prioritising nourishing whole foods;
- Ocean plunges;
- Chopping firewood - gets me out of my head. Nothing like the satisfaction of hearing a nice dry piece of wood split;
- Finding joy in simple things - like a bunch of weeds picked for me by my daughter;
- Enjoying a nourishing warm drink in a cosy spot (see my recipe below).
- Diffusing pure quality essential oils daily - sets the tone in our home for the day.
Sometimes, nervous system care looks like a warm drink in a cosy spot. Here is my favourite recipe for Tumeric Chai Lattes which I have been enjoying this winter. Don’t forget to label your jar or you will do what I did and made mine out of curry paste by mistake.
So, the next time you find yourself rushing through the washing pile or brushing your teeth so hard your gums bleed (true story), pause, take a breath, slow down and remember:
”Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished” - Lao Tzu.
And now in the interests of not getting in the way of your “intentional pottering” I’m going to wind this up til next time.
If you read all the way to the end of my ramblings, thank you. We would love to hear from you. Let us know in the comments, what are some of your favourite ways you do self care, the simpler the better!
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