When you have competing demands from external sources, it’s easier for your internal voice to get drowned out in the process. The one that keeps telling you you need to slow down and take some time for yourself. The one that reminds you you’re not invincible. The one that reminds you to take care of your health first.

 

These pressures from external sources have a way of building up – and your body will often have a physical response to the stress. For me, it manifests as a migraine when I’ve been working at full throttle on someone else’s priorities…because I know what I’m reasonably capable – but others seem to push their agenda anyway. The juggle – and the struggle – can really get to you if you’re not mindful that this is happening. Something needs to change fast when it does happen. It’s not sustainable.

 

To combat this, I knew I needed quiet time to myself. This looks like no external distractions – no music, no podcasts, no TV and certainly no outside influences. Instead, it’s all about what I need to feel like myself again – a cup of tea, a cool pair of eye gels and a magazine on the couch. A quiet night. I needed to do something for myself – for the love of it. Where the only agenda was restoring my mind, because my heart already knew what I needed.