A Journey Back into Self-Care
It seems I go through seasons of self-care (and lack thereof). After a long period of self-sacrifice with my first child, my life settled a bit in many aspects. With my second pregnancy and child (was it because she was a girl?!), life fell into a good groove. I had a good haircut, managed to blow-dry style it, took care of my skin, and painted my toe nails regularly. I also kept my schedule manageable and worked on some solid "girl" relationships including receiving and offering mentoring. At one point, I worked on strengthening my core and amazed myself with the results.
Well, my third child is now sixteen months old. It's been nineteen months since we moved into this house, about a year since my husband decided to quit his job and nearly four months of relying on our growing business for income. I have been on the bottom of the priority list for too long. The physical and emotional symptoms cannot be ignored any longer or I could be in for some serious problems.
But it wasn't that long ago that I was just barely surviving and "fine". But then I started struggling with insomnia (again). And my frustration level was so high, it was very difficult to control. My face looked pale and strained. It was hard to cope with everyday challenges. But it wasn't until a talk with my Mom that I realized the gravity of my situation. My symptoms were eerily similar to hers before she had a total breakdown at an age just two years away for me.
And then a visit to Pelo Loco Salon & Spa revealed oh-so gently that I was indeed losing hair still--and when was the last time it had been cut? Thank you, Vicki, for your sensitivity, wisdom and truth-speaking. You were able to bring to light my current position of "bottom" on my priority list. And the resulting emotion revealed the degree to which that was affecting me on the inside.
So, in these last few days I've let business ideas simmer in the background a little more, napped a little more, gone out with women twice, put berries and flax meal on my oatmeal, actually sat down and relaxed to drink a cup of honey lemon ginseng green tea (whew!), played the piano, went on a walk by myself twice, cuddled with my hubby before starting my day twice, started weaning my son, read my Bible, and found myself responding to my children rather than reacting (well, one of the days anyways!). Chaos and unexpected events still get me off-balance, my respsonsibility list is still too long, and I still struggle to ask for help, but I've climbed up the ladder of priority. And that feels good.
Saturday
Monday
Wellness for Women
I apologize for the lack of blogging lately (at least on my own). And the blogs you are getting are previously used for marketing on our business blog. But, just so you know some of what I'm thinking, I've decided to include most of yet another business blog here.
What are the unique health & wellness needs for women? What are our challenges? Where do we easily falter in the care of ourselves: our minds, our bodies, our spirits?
How do we build better lives? Healthier relationships? A more positive outlook? Less self-defeating thoughts? A higher level of energy? A greater level of joy? How do we utilize the unique beauty we possess to enrich our lives and those of our loved ones?
I think of the unique demands on women these days. Besides the roles and expectations that are imprinted deeply onto our DNA (to keep a clean house, cook wholesome meals, nurture our children and friendships, support our partners, give something back to the community), we now have other things added: bring in an income and do meaningful work, keep up with busy households and a technology-saturated/fast-paced world, keep current of the latest fashion and decor trends, navigate the latest health-food/fitness ideas, and try to work out because we sit at a computer too much of the day. And through it all, women are bombarded with images on TV, in theatres and magazines, and on billboards telling us what beauty should look like: from our clothing to our hair-style to the shape of our bodies. So, basically, we're surrounded with the message, "You don't measure up". That takes its toll on a person.
The truth is, no woman can possibly measure up to all that. But how does a woman sift through it all and decide who she is, what she can do, and where she wants to go in life? She needs to have a strong identity. She needs confidence. She needs to know that she's enough. She needs to see herself with new eyes and discover the beauty that lies beneath the surface, awakening to her true self, content with who she is and comfortable in her own skin. This can happen in a variety of ways. In fact, someone in Winnipeg has developed a lifestyle pass where women can try out a bunch of things to help build health into their lives, but that's another topic.
At Eve Studios, we're all about women. We believe there is beauty in every woman, just waiting to be revealed. Sometimes that beauty may be masked by low self-esteem, lies from the past, despair, stress, depression, difficult circumstances, and a myriad of other things. Sometimes, a woman's beauty may be apparent to everyone but the one who possesses it. But when that beauty starts to be uncovered, a radiant confidence emerges. And that confidence can transform every part of a woman's life. That's why we believe so strongly in building the self-esteem of women through photography.
There is a saying that "A picture is worth a thousand words". We, as women, can hear others tell us we're beautiful a thousand times and have it bounce off each time. But when we can take an image of our own self, created in a fun and relaxed atmosphere, recalling the positive feelings that came with the experience, and drink in the way we look...suddenly, just maybe, we can believe we're truly beautiful. And that belief will remain long after the photography session.
Live well and be good to yourself. And I will try to do the same.
I apologize for the lack of blogging lately (at least on my own). And the blogs you are getting are previously used for marketing on our business blog. But, just so you know some of what I'm thinking, I've decided to include most of yet another business blog here.
What are the unique health & wellness needs for women? What are our challenges? Where do we easily falter in the care of ourselves: our minds, our bodies, our spirits?
How do we build better lives? Healthier relationships? A more positive outlook? Less self-defeating thoughts? A higher level of energy? A greater level of joy? How do we utilize the unique beauty we possess to enrich our lives and those of our loved ones?
I think of the unique demands on women these days. Besides the roles and expectations that are imprinted deeply onto our DNA (to keep a clean house, cook wholesome meals, nurture our children and friendships, support our partners, give something back to the community), we now have other things added: bring in an income and do meaningful work, keep up with busy households and a technology-saturated/fast-paced world, keep current of the latest fashion and decor trends, navigate the latest health-food/fitness ideas, and try to work out because we sit at a computer too much of the day. And through it all, women are bombarded with images on TV, in theatres and magazines, and on billboards telling us what beauty should look like: from our clothing to our hair-style to the shape of our bodies. So, basically, we're surrounded with the message, "You don't measure up". That takes its toll on a person.
The truth is, no woman can possibly measure up to all that. But how does a woman sift through it all and decide who she is, what she can do, and where she wants to go in life? She needs to have a strong identity. She needs confidence. She needs to know that she's enough. She needs to see herself with new eyes and discover the beauty that lies beneath the surface, awakening to her true self, content with who she is and comfortable in her own skin. This can happen in a variety of ways. In fact, someone in Winnipeg has developed a lifestyle pass where women can try out a bunch of things to help build health into their lives, but that's another topic.
At Eve Studios, we're all about women. We believe there is beauty in every woman, just waiting to be revealed. Sometimes that beauty may be masked by low self-esteem, lies from the past, despair, stress, depression, difficult circumstances, and a myriad of other things. Sometimes, a woman's beauty may be apparent to everyone but the one who possesses it. But when that beauty starts to be uncovered, a radiant confidence emerges. And that confidence can transform every part of a woman's life. That's why we believe so strongly in building the self-esteem of women through photography.
There is a saying that "A picture is worth a thousand words". We, as women, can hear others tell us we're beautiful a thousand times and have it bounce off each time. But when we can take an image of our own self, created in a fun and relaxed atmosphere, recalling the positive feelings that came with the experience, and drink in the way we look...suddenly, just maybe, we can believe we're truly beautiful. And that belief will remain long after the photography session.
Live well and be good to yourself. And I will try to do the same.
