You have to take care of you, too!

We all have busy lives. The hours blend into days, days blend into weeks, weeks blend into months and before you know it, another year has gone! It's what a routine does. It keeps the world turning and our calendars full. I know first hand how fast my time goes with being a mom to 2 girls and running a photography business alongside.

It's easy to start losing yourself though. Very easy. Especially with a job where you work from home. Yes I love getting to meet people day to day now but I no longer have a work family. I work on my own really. When I was a teaching assistant I loved teaching and I loved being part of a team.

But I wasn't a mom then. That's when I changed.

My children became my world. I didn't want to miss a second of them growing up. I wanted to teach them how to eat, how to talk, how to take their first steps and I was very fortunate to be able to do so. I gave up my career and started up a small business from home, first painting name plaques, then making frames. It was hard doing that alongside being a new mom and it meant working silly hours up until 1am some nights (even my husband helped out and he was working full time all day, too!) This all then lead to what I'm sure lots of you can relate to...

...I started to lose me.

I was no longer part of a work family, where I shared jokes and chats about life and new slimming world recipes and hugs. I was just a wife and a mom. Just a wife and a mom, who made frames, from home on her own. Of course I was blessed to be doing just that and for being a mom, but it was still hard. Hard to not have any adult conversation all day, hard to bring up a baby and then toddler and then another baby as well whilst working all the in-between hours ordering supplies, taking orders, making frames, photographing them, gift wrapping, parcel packaging, posting!!! And what did I do for me? Nada.

So in 2019 I decided it was time to make a change. I needed to look after me, too. I decided to join college and learn a new skill. Photography. Something I had wanted to do for years but I had little time. I still had little time but I MADE TIME. This was important to me. I needed to have something new and interesting to look forward to. After 10 weeks, I enjoyed it so much I did the next course for another 10 weeks. Then after that I did newborn training and thought, this is it. This is what I want to do!

I still don't have a work family, but I do have other photographer friends. Ladies I speak to from time to time and we support each others businesses. I get to meet people daily now. I get to have adult conversations and listen to all the lovely experiences new parents have. I get to see happy, albeit tired parents with their whole world and capture memories for them that they will treasure their whole lives. Isn't that wonderful?!

So what was I going to do to keep up with this 'me' time I had experienced all year through college and training? And how was I going to continue with this positive mindset I had gotten into?

Yoga.

I cannot tell you how yoga has changed my life. I can't believe I didn't start it sooner. It feels like it's been the missing part of my puzzle to keep me feeling my best. It isn't just the exercise that is beneficial. It gives you strength. Not just on the outside (it is fab for toning btw!) but strength on the inside. The power to have a good day, almost every day. It teaches you gratitude, it teaches you courage, it teaches you mindfulness and positivity.

I look forward to my one hour long session every week and we learn something new every time we go. I am gutted that we won't be getting together for a few weeks whilst the world is fighting back from Coronavirus but I sure will be practising at home thanks to our lovely instructor, Amber, who is preparing online tutorials for us. If you can find a class near you, I highly recommend it. We are like a little yoga family now as the same ladies get back together every week.

You could try it at home if you are short of time though. There are lots of videos on Youtube and also a kids yoga channel called Cosmickids yoga which my girls and I enjoy doing together. Honestly, give it a go. It really is good for the body and mind.

And if all else fails and you think, na, yoga isn't for me, there's always Netflix box sets and movies to binge on with a cuppa and some biscuits :-) I find that helps me, too!!

Gem x

(If you are local to Tamworth, you can contact my instructor on Facebook 'Yoga with Amber Cherie')