Xo,
Have you felt like you want to take better care of yourself, but you just don’t have the room for ONE more thing? If so, keep reading. I have the best news.
Your capacity to take care of yourself will EXPAND as you take care of yourself.
It’s the only way it will happen.
We can’t grow into something we’re not willing to do.
I used to think I didn’t have time to exercise. To move and strengthen my body somehow each day.
I thought my life was too full of kids and full-time momming and running a business on the side and errands and appointments and homework and cleaning and my volunteer work and ALLLLLL the things that take up our days.
I just don’t have TIME.
“I just don’t have time right now” was my belief and I proved it true.
But guess what?
Bringing a new piece of life INTO your life always feels overwhelming until you DO it.
Your brain only knows the capacity you have right NOW. How could it know any different?
And when you introduce something NEW…your brain will tell you it can’t do it. “HEY, I’m at full capacity here…we can’t fit another thing in!” Sound familiar?
No room in the inn…
But think of when you DID bring something new into your life that was important enough to you to make room for.
Maybe a new job or career change. Your education. A relationship. Having a child.
With EVERY SINGLE child I decided to bring in to this world, my brain couldn’t IMAGINE how in the world I’d do it! There was just no way.
It wasn’t like I was laying on the couch with all this extra time on my hands and I thought “hey…I should have another kid to fill up all these empty hours…”
Nope.
Whether I had one kid or five kids, my brain told me I was at full capacity.
But when I made the choice to grow my family, something cool happened. My CAPACITY grew as well.
Expanding one day at a time…
At first it felt hard and overwhelming…but after a few months, as you moms all know, I got the hang of it. Things became easier. I developed a new routine.
This little person was with me now whether I felt like taking care of her or not! I either needed to give her away or figure out to make room for her in my life.
Luckily I chose the latter.
And over time, habits developed, love grew and I couldn’t imagine my days without her. She was just a part of me.
Moving my body became the same way.
When I first made the decision to move her in some way, every day, whether I felt like it or not, it felt inconvenient and awkward at first. Some days it felt overwhelming or annoying.
But each day I took care of her…even if I just walked or stretched for 10 minutes…it became a little easier. Like getting used to my new baby. None of us (well…most of us…I’ve seen Kate +8) jump into being a mom of a full house of kids overnight! We wade into it…one teething toddler at a time.
Over time, moving my body just became a habit. I started small and as I kept going, it became a part of ME. As much of my routine as brushing my teeth.
Something I love and miss if I skip a day or two.
It’s not even something I have to think about anymore.
It’s just who I am and what I do.
And my brain figured out how to make it fit.
My capacity to take care of myself expanded…and so will yours.
HOW to Grow
Whether you’re learning how to eat in a new way, think in a new way, move in a new way…whatever it is you want to bring into your life to take more care of yourself…you HAVE the ability inside you to do it.
You just haven’t discovered it YET because you haven’t required it of yourself yet.
Just pick ONE specific thing you want to bring into your life to improve your body. Not a laundry list, just ONE. Maybe you want to start moving your body in a way that feels good to you? Maybe you want to learn how to cook food that is healthy AND delicious. Maybe you want to improve the quality of your snacks from Cheetos to fresh veggies and raw nuts.
Whatever you decide, start small. Choose 10 minutes of time each day to set aside to go for a walk. Or do a 10 minute stretch or yoga video or even a 10 minute workout! YouTube is full of awesome 10 minute workouts, whatever kind you’re looking for!
Schedule it on your calendar like the most important appointment of the day because it IS. Teaching your brain that YOU and your one, beautiful body are worth giving time to is what we’re doing here.
If you decide you want to eat healthier, pick ONE meal to focus on. Look up one new recipe and try it. Replace ONE processed food snack each day with a piece of whole fruit, veggies or raw nuts. Start small so you’ll keep going. When that change begins to feel easy (and it will), add a little more.
We are amazing creatures that have the ability to grow and learn and do and become.
It’s who we are.
We are made to grow.
We are meant to expand.
And no matter what your brain tells you…you WILL figure out how to do it if you decide it’s important to you.
As you grow, your capacity will grow with you.
