When you're so busy, how do you have time for yourself?

In a year when we thought we'd have all the time in the world, how do we have no time?

Closing my doors in March, I literally had nothing to do but I had everything to do. The kids were home schooled, my husband was now at home full time and we had a 3 month old puppy!

I hoped I'd be able to do everything I'd put on the back burner - cleaning out the attic, decorating etc but actually I found I couldn't. 

My main achievement, apart from making sure all members of the family were clean and fed and walked was painting the back fence. It was a labour of love (and hate) - 28 panels and umpteen tins of paint but it was MY thing. I took an hour to myself and painted, and painted. It was my time and that became very precious to me. 

I can't lie - during lockdown I cried a lot. I felt angry that everything I worked so hard for had stopped. I felt guilty that there was no plan B and therefore there was no money. I felt sad that everything I wanted to do had to make way for the job with the income and the children and their studies, oh and did I mention the lively puppy.

As the weeks rolled by, I realised that what the problem actually was. It was that my own self-care had completely stopped. I stopped exercising, I was eating badly and I didn't have any structure to my days. I just kept functioning to make sure everyone else was ok but I'd stopped caring for myself. No makeup, joggers or leggings and eek my hair!

Recognising this was a huge turning point and got me thinking, hey if I'm feeling like this what about all those people who also didn't have a choice. What about those too scared to leave their homes, those who were reliant on other people shopping for them or not perhaps being able to afford to eat healthily or those sat in their own homes for hours with no company, except the awful new updates about the virus.

I realised I did have a choice - I needed to start addressing my needs too.  As soon as I started to make an effort, I started to feel better physically and mentally. I started doing yoga again before the children got up so it was my time. I added structure to my days which included time for me to work on my business after work / school hours and I shared this with the family. I started to plan healthy meals and taking iron and vitamin D to help give me an energy boost. I also read that vitamin D can help to minimise the symptoms of Covid-19, so worth a try.

I started to feel like I was achieving something for myself.

As I write, we are in lockdown part 2 but my mindset is totally different. I still start the day with yoga (10-30mins depending on lie-ins), followed by a long walk with my furry friend. I listen to podcasts and training courses whilst I walk and learn something new everyday. I still have days when I slob around in joggers but equally I make an effort to dress up. Meals are planned and my husband and I have lunch together most days. This is our time to catch up without the children around and to address any concerns we have and to talk about our schedules.

Work wise - I'm busier than ever! Even though I'm not currently working in my business. I now have a self-care Facebook group 'Essence Within' and have just launched my new self-care gift sets 'Essence of You'. I'm much more focused on where I want my business to go. Yes income has taken another battering, but this time I have some passive income!

Self-care for me is being able to recognise what's important to you and acknowledge when you need a bit more care and love, and being able to you give it to yourself. It might only seem like a small thing to someone else but if it matters to you - it IS important. 

Next week is self-care awareness week and the perfect time to have a think about what small steps you can take to improve your self-care. If you want to find out more about the campaign click here. If you're also interested in finding out more about my self-care group then click here for a sneaky peek. Much love K



By Kathryn Scarr 25 Jan, 2022
Find out what made me start my business and my plans for the future
By Kathryn Scarr 16 Jun, 2021
Before the treatment.... "I have previous surgery on my back which responds well to massage. I researched Myofascial release, but couldn’t imagine how it would actually feel on my body". During "It’s quite challenging to explain! Initially I felt the pressure of Kathryn's hands on an area of my body. After a minute or so a deep wave like fluid feeling, glided across my back pushing the muscle to stretch and release. I kept saying ‘ this is very strange!’ It did not hurt, felt almost like a strong ripple of water like when you’re in a wave machine at the swimming pool! The ‘wave’ wanted to go in different directions on my back, maybe to areas needing attention. At times it felt like cornflower goop. I couldn’t believe that K's hands were still and the body was subconsciously moving the muscles of the fascia around! At one point- I took my hand and pointed to where I felt it moving and K's hands were no-where near it. Very difficult to describe as nothing like a massage I have experienced before". After "I felt relaxed. I also had a sense of excitement to have experienced a new type of treatment which really stretched all problem areas of my back, shoulder and hip muscles. I found the session grounded me and felt more connected to my body. Afterwards, I felt tired, cold and a bit spaced out- which is normal for me post massage. I highly recommend trying this treatment and will definitely be going again"!
By Kathryn Scarr 21 May, 2021
Until this year, I'd never meditated. I mean who has time to sit still and do nothing right? Well, actually it turned out I did. Having had to shut my business yet again in January, I was starting to worry. Worrying about money, worrying about whether clients would ever come back and worrying about the impact on my mental health. Having a purpose and a sense of achievement is I've realised, something I need in my life. I was in the midst of searching for something new to learn when a free meditation course popped up with Susie Hemsted. I did the workshop, thinking well its free and gives me something to do. Needless to say I loved it and I felt a connection to what Susie was teaching us. She was so calm...maybe this could work for me too? After the initial workshop, Susie mentioned she was running a 5 week course but I had no income and savings were pretty much depleted. It seemed a bit mad to even consider it. But when I mentioned it to my family, my children actually said 'If you really want to do it mummy, we can lend you the money' - did I cry... yes! I had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to do it.. So I said 'YES'. During our initial session one of the ladies burst into tears. Anyone who knows me, knows that I cry when other people cry so it was a shock and I fought to keep it together. Over the weeks, there were lots of tears. The pandemic has affected people in so many different ways but seeing how the course was giving the women back the control and focus was liberating. And I soon realised that actually letting yourself go was actually really powerful. On the last group session, when talking about what we'd gained from the course, my flood gates opened. I sobbed and sobbed. I was so sad it had ended but having gained so much, there were tears of joy too. I'd experienced some really amazing moments of calm, reflection and had a newly instated confidence. I felt a sense of relief that I'd learnt ways to manage my feelings of anxiety and to enable me to calm myself and re-focus in an entirely different way. I've use meditation to manage other situations. A recent dentist appointment when I needed a filling. Focusing my mind helped the time to pass and kept me calm. I also tried it during a blood donation but every time I tried a breathing activity, my blood flow slowed down so much the alarm kept sounding! Since 2012, it's estimated that the amount of people using meditation around the world has tripled. During the recent FA Cup Final, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel admitted to meditating to help prepare for the match. A common misconception is that you have to meditate for hours. Yes of course some people do but you don't need to. Martin Boroson an executive coach, Zen priest and former psychotherapist found that actually meditating for a mere minute a day can reduce stress levels by 33%. So if you've never tried it, have a go. Find a guided meditation and let yourself be taken on the journey. You never know where the journey may take you.
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