Do More of What You Love

Hi there, I wanted to remind you about the importance taking time for yourself.

I went for a walk up Kinder Scout (see picture above taken at Kinder Downfall, overlooking Kinder Resevoir) with my brother this weekend and as we both have young kids we got talking about how little time we have to ourselves.  It reminded me that I have to create time to prioritise my own needs, because no one else will do it for me.

I’m lucky that my boyfriend Mike is great with our kids and is always happy to spend time with them alone and I do the same for him.

My favourite things to do by myself are:

• Practice Yoga (haha, obvs!)

• Go for a walk - where I live (Marple Bridge) is really beautiful so I’m lucky I can just step out of the door onto some gorgeous hills and canals

• Read (my favourite book recently was The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See) - do you have any book recommendations for me? I’m always interested in books people love!

When I’ve had some time to myself, I feel more chilled. It means I’m more patient with my kids (even my chaotic 2 year old!) My body feels less tense. My mind is more focused and I have more energy to give to my work, family and friends.

My question to you is, can you create little pockets of 10 minutes here and there to prioritise the things that you love and that help you to feel more relaxed… whatever that might be? Gardening, crafting, cooking… often we don’t bother because we feel like we don’t have enough time. But if you can create small periods of time just to yourself, I promise you’ll feel better for it and it’s more realistic than going for a day’s hike every weekend!