Back To My Mat
I just moved.
Wait, let me back up, saying that I “just moved” sounds like a very anti-climatic way to describe what actually just happened. I moved, across the entire country, AGAIN, with my three youngest children and ALL four cats (because life with kids isn’t chaotic enough, why wouldn’t I throw four cats in the mix?). In the midst of moving back to southern Indiana, I made a pit stop in Daytona to help set up my oldest two’s new apartment. Within a four week period, we decided to move, packed up an entire home, set up an apartment, and settled into our new house, just in time for the kids to start school at the new schools, 1000 miles away from our sunny paradise we have called home for the last three years. Now that it’s a little more clear let’s get back to the story.
So like we previously established, I just moved.
I did what every woman on this planet does when her life is overflowing with to-do lists and massive projects.
I. Pushed. Through.
I might have also relied heavily on the help of large doses of caffeine and sugar. Even still, I pushed. I did what needed to be done, all of the 1,876,974 things. Well, I did most of them… my “to do” list still feels a little long, but you get the picture right?
Have you ever been in a season when you find yourself saying… “When we get this done, I will start taking better care of myself.” or something like “I just need to get through the next three weeks, month, the winter, etc.”
We are not made to survive we are designed to THRIVE! 
When we are in survival mode, we neglect our mind, body, soul, and spirit. We push through, ignoring the messages that our body and our soul are trying to send, the messages that tell us how to best care for ourselves and our families.
Normally, I am hypersensitive to what I need to do so that I can remain in alignment feeling balanced and grounded. I pause every day to just breathe and reflect, doing a mindfulness scan, to direct me to any area that needs my attention. I check in to gauge my physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. I look for things that need to be adjusted, and then I make the needed adjustments, usually, unless the changes have anything to do with cutting out cheese and sugar, then I think really hard about making the adjustments… well not about the cheese, I am not Superwoman!
When I feel like something is off, I take some time and sit down with my journal and examine my life. I look at each aspect of my life; physically, emotionally, and spiritually, examining my present state and compare it to where I would like to be.
I look for the gaps.
You know the ones, the gaps between where I am and where I desire to be. The gaps will always point me to the work I need to do to bring me back into alignment.
Today, I was overwhelmed by my gaps. My gaps revealed a version of myself that has been practicing neglect instead of self-care. I haven’t “found my groove yet.” I have been neglecting my standard self-care regimen of yoga, walking, and meditation. My career is in the midst of an overhaul as I figure out the best way to build in Southern Indiana. My finances are out of whack (when you move you can count on everything being twice as much as you have planned). My diet… can we not even go there today?
My life is a hot mess that needs some major attention.
Fortunately, I have the tools that I need to help me get refocused.
I unrolled my mat and settled in, listening to my body, taking my time, I quieted myself.
Slowly, my mind began to shift, and I could find myself again.
Just me, my breath, and my mat.
After a kick-ass practice, my mind was clear. I went to my computer and pulled up the Life Balance Strategy Primer that we created for Wellness Craze and filled it out myself as if I had never seen it before. After completing the Primer, I knew right away where I needed to focus my attention. Even though there were no real big surprises; I knew that I had been eating horribly, not practicing as I should, and not giving myself time and space to be creative, I still needed to see it all in black and white so that I knew how to formulate a plan to re-activate my alignment and live a balanced life that reflects my desired state. After reviewing my results, I set some goals, attainable goals with baby steps for me to take every day.
Stephanie McCandless
Wellness Craze Co-Founder
About the author
