Hot Flashes, Habits, and Happiness
I'm going to start with the later and work my way along, so this business about happiness. It's a tricky one, we all want to be happy, don't we? That's what we are told and sold. Is contentment the same thing, or good enough? or is happiness the counter balance to having had sadness, depression, loneliness or maybe just the blahs? I've also been thinking about self-care. How do we really do that? Hmmm... Sorry, my philosophical self took over for a minute.
So, habits... I wrote a whole post about habits and to be honest, since the summer began and we began packing up our lives, selling our home and settling in South Carolina most of the habits have been uprooted and dismantled. It's good to mix things up and have to re-think what you are doing and why you are doing it. To really visit something when you are inspired to and follow that calling if you will. It's so great to stop and evaluate. Is what you are doing still serving you? Do you have a calling for it? Here's some of what I've discovered.
I've returned to yoga because I do feel much better when I breathe in the morning and there's nothing like yoga where every movement is tied to the breath. I'm even participating in a 30 day challenge. Here's the twist. I'm not doing the 30 day challenge non-stop. Why? Because self-care which I need right now, dare I say we all need right now, dictates that I listen to my body. It means that I take a break and I don't participate every day. So, I'm doing the challenge but on my terms - as long as it serves me.
I've returned to making a smoothie in the morning. It's a reminder to take my vitamins and it makes me feel good. I truly miss my smoothie when I'm on the road and always look forward to having one again when I'm home.
Art - this is a practice that was more of a weekly habit for me - when life cooperated. Sometimes more and sometimes less. I've struggled with this recently. As much as I want to - want to make art, it's difficult. I finished my degree and took a much needed little break. Now it's on to finding a job and in teaching there are so many hoops to jump through. I am trying to get licensed through SC. The first step is taking the Praxis test to teach art. The test is all about making art, safety, and art history (all of art history) so studying takes a lot of time. All of this is wearing; therefore, I just don't feel like doing much after all of that. I'm not telling you this to complain or whine but I think we all have things that take us away from what we want. Here's the good news - regardless of what I feel like every once in a while I am just compelled to create and I sit down and things happen. Like the February cards I just finished. When that happens it is such a good feeling - and I think we need to celebrate those little moments of epiphany, joy, or creativity. Live there instead of the other places that often show up.
What else, oh yes, how can I forget Hot Flashes... These began for me about a year ago and maybe we will call them mini flashes. I just had these hot moments, not terrible but the hinting at something more to come - a foreshadowing if you will. Then, they began in their truer sense. The full on hot sweaty mess that is a hot flash and it almost seemed as if they were summoned by stress, even the slightest thought of stress could bring on this weird new HOT. As with all things there was a tide of sorts in that it would happen often and then go away for a while and then happen again. I bought some supplements that helped and then they ran out and we were on the road and I got busy and didn't order them. Time went on and then they began again now at night and disrupting sleep and you try to get used to this new normal of change, because this is "natural". Ugh. Then, I had a couple of days where I was really sleep deprived from all of it and I realized this is not self-care. So, I got more supplements and finally got some sleep and man what a difference.
Self-care is not a list of things you should be doing. It is an urge that you should listen to. That urge is different for all of us but what is it that your body wants, your mind wants, what feels good, makes you happy and that you shouldn't ignore. Do you need a nap? Some time to yourself? Time with others? Something good to nourish your body - bath, soup, a walk, movement? Here's a reminder for all of us to listen to those urges. Big hugs - Eileen
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