The Wellness Poet

The Wellness Poet

 By Krissy Regan The Wellness Poet

 

Like many people I love holidays. Holidays are our hard-won reward for all the long hours we put in at work. I got my first passport when I was 21 and spent the next two decades filling it with stamps from all over the world.  In my mind I can go in an instant to a sun-lounger cruising the Nile, snacking on seafood in Sicily, or swimming with turtles in Barbados. I visualise those moments during my tough days when I need to stop thinking about things that are bothering me. I worked very hard to enjoy special holidays before I became a mum and I confess to trying to do the same after I become a mum. I worked very hard, saved up, and looked forward to special holidays and visiting fantastic places with my little one. I took her to New York, Ireland, Greece, Menorca, travelling around Australia and the UK visiting old friends. On paper, it all sounds fab but each trip was memorable for different reasons; Chicken Pox, Norovirus, Teething, Norovirus (yes again), Pet Allergies, Jet Lag, Family Queues, more like a horror movie than a postcard.

It was after the birth of my second child when the reality of real holidays became something else to file away on my CV (She used to like travelling), and a new decade commenced. Short trips not more than 1 hour away from home; a toddler that projectile vomits in the car each time you leave the house, fights over who can hold the iPad, constant snacks and toilet stops for constipated kids, crying (them and me). OMG if I wrote a travel log for every horror holiday trip with my kids, I’m sure it would fill a new volume of Encyclopaedia Britannica (remember that one?).

So as a very unrelaxed, exhausted and busy working mother of 2 small kids I had to find a new way… A new way to create sun-lounger moments in my day.  Exciting and rejuvenating staycations. It’s been the year for Staycations, hasn’t it?  I’m thankful to not have had any holidays ruined by Covid but I do know many people that have, and I also know that at this time many Mums need a proper break, and the chance to sit back and relax. So, I would like to share my top 5 Mum Staycation Tips with you and hope that at some point when you need to escape, relax and revitalise yourself you can. Just like I’ve had to reimagine my ideal holiday for a few years now. I’ve let go of my Sun-lounger on the Nile mentality (those holidays don’t exist for now), and I’m punctuating my day with sun-lounger moments and most of the time my kids don’t even know, “mummies on vacation”.

Here are my Top 5 Mum Staycation (Sun-lounger Moments) Tips

  1. Treat yourself to a Spa Hour at home. 
    • Order some Spa products from your favourite shop. I use The Body Shop at Home because they have a great range of affordable Spa products like scrubs, oils, creams, peels, masks etc. and by supporting Body Shop at Home you are supporting another Mum who is running a small business as well as supporting women in communities where the ingredients are sourced.  Or you can buy locally from someone who is making or sourcing their own products.
    • I like to use a Body Scrub and a Face Peel or Mask, and then wash my hair with nourishing products under a hot shower. Afterwards I use face oil and body butter and I feel good and smell great (according to my kids).   

 

  1. Cook or Order In your favourite Meal.
    • If you enjoy cooking set aside some time when you can cook your favourite food. Often, I cook myself a delicious meal and I enjoy eating it while the kids are busy.  That way they are not sitting on my lap and I don’t have to watch them spilling food on the floor or asking me to get them something every 2 minutes while my yummy food gets cold.
    • Sometimes I bake a cake on Saturday night and have a freshly cooked cake while we watch a movie. It’s heavenly.  Orange and Poppy Seed Packet Mix Cake is my favourite at the moment.

 

  1. Create a Relaxation Island at Home.
    • In my room I’ve created a Relaxation Island. It’s a nice rug with a yoga mat and pillow on it and I go there every night when the kids are in bed.  I stretch, listen to music, meditate and unwind.  It’s become a daily ritual and something to look forward to.

 

  1. Find your favourite Sitting Place and go there whenever you can.
    • Near my house is a park bench by the river. I love the outlook and tranquillity of it.  When I’m having a tough day, I’m drawn to that bench.  Similarly, I have a small table and chair in the back garden that I go to with my morning coffee on a Sunday. I’m usually left there undisturbed to drink my coffee as either they can’t find me or I’m out of sight, out of mind but I can hear them, and I can sit quietly and enjoy the morning bird song.

 

  1. Hotelify your bedroom.
    • I spent a lot of time living in hotels and the best part of hotels is a fresh made bed every day, and knowing that you can come back to a quiet and zen like place to rest.
    • So, if you can update your linen and pillows do so. Otherwise just put on clean bedding, tidy your room, light a lovely candle, turn on a lamp (like a salt lamp) and put on your favourite PJs and slide into bed and read your favourite book.
    • You will feel so much more rested when you wake up even if like me you get woken up before the sun comes up.

 

Remember these tips are for you!  Of course, your family can part-take but it’s not about their holiday it’s about yours.  One thing I’m learning to accept more and more as a mother is that my kids love me and need me very much, but they don’t know what I need or even do they probably really care what I want.  A few holiday moments in each day will help you keep calmer, more relaxed, feeling more loved.  The worse thing is saving up for that big holiday only having it ruined by some unplanned event like Chicken Pox or Lockdown!  Do yourself a favour and in these years of uncertainty create some staycation moments for yourself where-ever you can.

 

Krissy Regan is The Wellness Poet and Founder of Mindful Mums Queensland.  She is author of 3 new books; Broken to Unbreakable, 12 Steps to an Unbreakable Mind, Body & Spirit, The Koala who Lost his Heart and Bobby, a Horse who teaches a young girl how to Love.  Krissy wrote these books whilst working part-time at home, raising 2 small children and juggling the demands of her household.

Krissy offer’s workshops, retreats and 1-1 coaching and launched her global online wellness school at the start of 2021. You can register right here; https://krissy-regans-wellness-movement-mindful-mums-3.teachable.com/

You can contact Krissy Regan at mindfulmumsqld@gmail.com or follow Mindful Mums Qld on Facebook and Instagram @mindfulmumsqld and view Krissy’s work here:  https://www.thewellnesspoet.com/