The Wall

Fellow Mommas, why do Mondays feel like Fridays sometimes?  I envisioned starting this week awake, rejuvenated, and ready to take it on.  Supermom versus the world!  However, when my eyes opened this morning, I felt like I had not slept in days.  The week ahead seems daunting—my body is tense.  The stress was already working its way through my muscle into my mind.  We have all been there, probably more times than not.  We carry on, check off items on our To Do List, juggle a work schedule, and care for those we need to.  Of course, we are happy to do so.  I always feel fulfilled in doing such, but sometimes that demands more energy than we might have available within us.  

Yet, when you hit that "wall," do you recognize it?  Permit yourself to listen to your body and mind.  Do you slow down to recharge?  

In Portugal, for a small period, I found myself utterly alone in the gardens surrounding Palacio da Pena.  I felt compelled to rush and catch up with my husband and daughter for a moment.  But I stopped myself.  I concentrated on taking deep breaths.  To take in my surroundings completely.  The silence.  The air.  The smell.  The peace.  The things that I would frequently miss in my everyday life.   

I sat in the middle of the path and watched the fog roll in around me.  It felt like an embrace.  An acknowledgment of sorts from Mother Nature that self-care is essential.  A lesson from her is to root yourself in the moment and realize that the energy of your environment can be healing if interpreted correctly.  The acceptance that such moments are not selfish.  That those moments are essential because I am taking better care of my family by taking better care of myself.

What do you do when you hit your "wall"?  Where do you find yourself most able to recharge?