Image credit @SpiritDaughter
After quite a stressful end to 2022, I have chosen to ease myself into the new year and decided that January and February are good months to try to focus on my needs and those closest to me.
I think the run up to Christmas can be quite fraught. I have 3 children who are still young enough to be excited at the prospect of waking up on Christmas Day to stockings and our chosen family traditions. It puts a lot of (self-imposed) pressure on me to get it all right and create memories that I hope they hold dear in the future.
The school holidays always pass too quickly and before I know it they’re all returning to school, and the magic of the festivities is swiftly replaced by the regular activities they enjoy, but which I find tiresome – a weekly cycle of food shopping, cooking, cleaning and driving them to wherever they need to be. In between that I shoehorn things that give me joy and squeeze in work. When the sun is shining I feel way more capable of breezing through this, but in the depths of winter, when the beautiful Christmas lights come down I struggle with my motivation.
This year I chose to keep my diary as free as possible for 6 weeks. I did not fit in every commitment to someone else (work or voluntary) that I usually would and have tried to do only what is needed to get us all through.
Today was a beautiful, bright & sunny day, though still nippy, and I have loved noticing the signs of Spring ahead.
I have lots planned for this year for my doula work and I’m looking forward to feeling a little bit more on top of things.
This image popped up on a social media feed and it really resonated with me. I’m loving the feeling of a gradual coming out of hibernation and am being gentle with myself for a few weeks. I hope I’ll feel the benefit for much longer.