This is becoming “that crazy time of the year.”

The  2nd week after Thanksgiving and the traffic on the road is already out of hand.  There will be so many things to juggle in these next coming weeks. We already have a couple of holiday parties on our calendar.  There will be a lot of shopping to do (unless you took care of it all on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.  If so, good for you!)

Whatever it is that keeps you running around like crazy, make sure you take some time to take care of you.  You do not want to be burnt out by the time the holidays get here.  Or even during the “normal” time of year.  Having a busy life can wear you out.  Adulting is exhausting, whether it is your husband or wife, your kids, your pet, your friends, parents, siblings, family, all the above!!  Everything becomes so crazy that you forget about you.  So lucky for you, I am sharing some of my favorite ways to rebalance my life.

In no particular order, here are some activities I enjoy for myself:

• Alone Time- Some may call it, “me time.”  Whatever you want to call it, make sure you do it.  I usually get to experience this first thing in the morning.  It could be as easy it is drinking a cup of coffee outside on the patio before my husband wakes up on some weekends, or before school starts in the morning.  There is nothing better than drinking that first cup of coffee in the peace and quietness.  Another great way to have some “me time” is getting a manicure and or pedicure.  If you are on a budget, give yourself one.    That is some more time to enjoy by yourself.  I also like to occasionally take a nice hot bath.  There is nothing better after a crazy day at work than a bath with some wine.

• Spend Time With Your Friends-  Go have some girl time, or boy time.  Enjoy each other!  Laugh, eat, play games!  Celebrate life with people you enjoy hanging out with.

• Go Outside- Enjoy the outdoors.  Take a walk! No matter what the temperature is outside.  If it is super hot, take a bottle of water with you.  If it is freezing cold outside, bundle up and drink hot chocolate.  Being outside is a great way to clear your head and enjoy.  When I used to live in NJ, my family’s favorite thing to do after is snowed was go walk in it.  It is so beautiful and magical.  Have you ever heard of Earthing?

“Years of extensive research has shown that connecting to the Earth’s natural energy, by walking barefoot on grass, sand, dirt or rock can diminish chronic pain, fatigue and other ailments that plague so many people today.  This connection is referred to as Earthing or Grounding.” (barefoothealing.com)

“You can’t see the Earth’s energy but some people can feel it as a warm, tingling, and pleasant sensation when they are out walking barefoot along the water’s edge at the beach or on a stretch of dew-moistened grass.”  (earthing.com)

So next time you are outside, take off your shoes and run in the grass or on the sand.  Feel Earth’s energy and feel yourself become rebalanced.

• Yoga and Mediation- Take care of yourself by doing some sort of Yoga exercise.  It can be as easy as finding a lesson on YouTube and just yoga up! If you are really interested in it, take a class. I went to a day retreat where I live and they offered a session on yoga and meditation.  I went by myself, and I cannot express how amazing it was.  We did yoga outside on the lawn in the beautiful sunshine.  We walked around and did some mantras.  Then we went inside and did some essential oil smelling, and some guided imagery.  I cannot wait for them to offer it again.  I also listen to a meditation podcast that uses guided imagery to help me focus if I have a hard time shutting down my brain at the end of the night.  It works so well, I hardly ever make it to the end.  Check it out at TheMeditationPodcast.com. Another awesome meditation lesson is from an awesome blogger site, thecelestialsolution.com.  This blog post explains a lot about meditation.

  At the end, there is a video on one way to meditate.  It is very informative and helps you feel comfortable about meditating.  Check it out!

So in a nutshell, these are the ways I like to relax and refocus to rebalance my hectic days.  What are some things you enjoy doing?  I would love to hear about them.  Let’s make a conscience effort to not let life get in the way of “us”!  Life is too short.  We need to make sure we stop and enjoy the things we have.

Awaken Your Inner Self

Carol