I admit, I am stressed. No surprises here, I bet most people in my situation would be, yoga teachers being a possible exception.
And I know that being stressed isn´t healthy, and I KNOW that I am a stress eater (gimme all the carbs!), which isn´t healthy either. So I should probably do something about it.
Given that I can´t change the circumstances, and, quite honestly, don´t want to change them (seriously, giving up the kids is not an option, but giving up the job isn´t one either), I think I have read about every stress release technique there is.
https://youtu.be/IrsYuh11U3s
Take a long, hot bath
I can´t remember when I last did that. Bathing with the kids awake isn´t relaxing, and as the bath tub is right next door to my sons room, taking one while they sleep doesn´t work either.
Meditate
I tried. I really did. Both with the kids awake (yes, I should have known better) and after their bed time. I fell asleep and woke up stressed about all the things I had still on my list.
Sleep eight hours straight
Okay. Maybe if I go to bed when I put the kids down, that might work. But am I ready to say goodbye to my social life? And yes, Friends on Netflix totally counts as social life.
Workout
That one I do. At least five times a week. Probably the only reason why I am still sane.
Gardening
Ha. That´s a new one.
Now I do have a garden. It surrounds the house we bought and I made sure to put a fence around the tiny pond once we moved in. That´s it.
Until earlier this year. What changed? The kids! They grew older, and now I can let them run free and just need to check occasionally (read: every 5 minutes) to make sure they are not poking out each others eyes with a stick or throw rocks at passing cars.
Folding laundry in peace! Cooking without tiny “helping” hands! Yes, I can see that a garden is a great way to destress.
But… There is always a but, isn´t there? A garden is not the same as gardening. It is just SO MUCH work! Seriously, it took me 1.5 hours just to mow the lawn last Saturday, and I haven´t even started weeding it!
So will having a garden outweigh the gardening? I am not sure yet, but I´ll keep you posted. Until then I´ll share a few impressions in this weeks vlog.