As a stay at home mom with a toddler and a fluctuating nap schedule (don’t even get me started on this time change!), my alone time is quite sacred. I prefer to do most things in the morning if I can, but that’s not always possible. So I have to squeeze it in during his nap time or when my husband is on toddler duty.
There are a few things I try to do each morning which really set me up for the day: yoga, meditation, journaling/quiet time and something productive (usually housework that needs to get done, LOL). I also recently added a 10-15 min outdoor walk and some breath work. This makes a HUGE difference in getting my mind and body ready for the day and its’ unpredictability. I have to practice letting go of expectations of how the day will go on a daily basis. Such a hard thing to do!
So this is great. Check check check. I got all those things done. Yey, me. But there are additional things I enjoy doing that make me feel good and make me a better mom and partner. Like working out (which has recently become a necessity). Or reading or tap dancing or blogging — these things bring me such joy. But I don’t always have time for them. Whomp whomp.
So I started implementing a “better than nothing” method. For example, if I don’t have time to work out, I do 3 rounds of various bodyweight exercises totaling 3-5 mins. Not a lot, but it’s something. If I didn’t have a chance to read, I try to fit in a few pages right before I go to bed (honestly, I can’t get much beyond that because I usually end up falling asleep!). Tap dancing … I don’t need to set aside 30 mins to learn new choreography. I can just tap for 5-10 mins. A little bit is better than nothing.
The same is true for something new I am starting to implement in my daily routine: cold showers. YES. I recently started learning about the health benefits of cold immersion and it is pretty mind blowing. So I am starting small. 30 secs. Gradually working up to 1 min and beyond. But sometimes on especially cold days (like today), I really want to stay in the coziness of my hot shower. So I’ll just do a few secs. Something is better than nothing, right?
“It is better to do something than to do nothing while waiting to do everything. “
~Winston Churchill
What little thing can you do today? Baby steps. You are doing great.