Tuesday 23 February 2010

Back to some time for yourself

Half term holiday is over (already!) and back to the rat race of school runs, homework, kids' clubs and the usual routine of rushing around. It is only when we are removed from the situation we realise how stressful it can be and how quickly time seems to "seep through the fingers".

I visited my family in the Czech Republic. We only see each other twice a year so every moment together is very precious. Half way through our time together, we all fell ill with a cough and runny noses, and generally feeling fluey. I was a little annoyed at the time but in retrostpect, it gave us the time to stay indoors and really BE together. Although slightly devoid of energy, we resorted to simple things like playing 4-in-a-row, my 9-year old daughter learned how to play chess (I still haven't mastered it), and we cooked and baked and occassionally watched DVDs.

It was nice not to have to get dressed if one didn't feel like it and leave the make-up off for a while. However, after about three days I started to feel the need to look a bit better, a little "healthier" with a hint of colour in my face, be it artificial from a foundation and a bit of blusher. Let's face it, at this time of year, with the constant lack of sun, very few people manage to retain any healthy glow naturally.

The state of mind gets fooled by what it sees. Slowly I started to feel better in myself - you will probably say that, obviously, with time, one gets better anyway, but I know that a bit of help from make-up gives one an instant boost in the self-esteem department, which gets the ball rolling...

Despite of feeling under the weather, I even received a compliment (not from the family...) about looking well, to which I answered that it must be because I am very happy with life and it probably shows. The internal feeling good definitely shines through to the outside, so if you are unhappy, even the best make up won't hide what the eyes give away about the state of your soul.

So go on, kids are back at school, give yourself a little more time to spend on what you like doing - be it reading a book, a short meditation, some time in the garden or even a power nap. And although it may seem a little extravagant, 30 minutes a day spent just on you is vital for you to be happy, and for it to show. It goes without saying that, as a side-effect, everybody around you will also benefit from you feeling more composed. A little bit of blusher or a hint of lipstick will, of course, propel you even further on that journey of rocketing self-esteem, even feeling in control! How's that?

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