Taking the Time to Rest

Hey there friends, its been a while.

The summer holidays were both hectic and relaxing at the same time. There wasn’t that daily hustle that comes with school terms. The rushing out the door in the morning to make the bus, remembering what is on at school each day and then the long list of after school activities.

There was trips to Melbourne to see the cricket, explore dinosaur exhibits, movie days and visits from cousins. There was also sleep ins, slow days inside escaping the heat, board games and snuggles.

I know its cliche, but they are only this little once. If your lucky you will get 18 summers with them before they make their own way in the world. I always take two weeks over Christmas to spend with the boys with no distractions. This can be hard as a dairy farm doesn’t stop, I have off farm commitments and still need to keep the house running. Over the last year though I have started to make the things that are truly important to me a priority.

In honesty the boys have been my priority since they were born. I would put anything on hold to be there for them. I think this comes with being a mum especially to medically challenging kids. We put so much pressure on ourselves to be everything for everyone. In the process though we forget about ourselves but sometimes you need to make yourself a priority too.

I’m not the best at listening to my body when it’s telling me it needs a rest. I tend to just push through and most of the time I manage but there have also been the times where I have completely crashed. This summer was one of those times. I had been battling insomnia and some other health problems that meant my body just said no I’ve had enough.

I am the first one to tell my husband when he needs to rest but taking the advice myself, I don’t do so well. So, I’ve been trying to listen to my body and give myself some rest. Admitting that its not a sign of weakness or failure, its just common sense. I’ve been embracing the luxury of sleep ins, sleeping later than I have since I was a teenager. And you know the most obvious thing that’s happened because of it? I’m feeling better, I’m feeling rested, I’m feeling like I can get through a day.

It was especially hard to take this step in January. Social media was flooded with new years resolutions, ambitious goals, what was being embraced this year and all that had been accomplished in 2023. I wasn’t in the space that I could find a word to focus on for the year. It can be easy to feel like you are being left behind, that you aren’t putting in enough effort, you are letting you dreams slip away and you should just give up before you even begin.

It is hard to say that I just need to rest. Right now, I need to listen to my body, to my mind and to those around me and take a break. I’m not giving up; it doesn’t make me unworthy. It means I’m making a conscious decision to look after myself like I would for those around me.

Intentions don’t have to start in January. They happen when you are ready for them. Not magically on the first day of a new year.

I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things but I’m not jumping back into everything. I’m finding what is important to me and taking it one step at a time. I realised that I needed to slow down and focus on the basics. A smoothly running house, happy kids and doing things I enjoy- that’s what’s important to me.

At the end of the day, I want to feel like I’ve accomplished things that matter to me, not just crossed tasks off a list. And I’m learning to do this.