Life just got ten times busier than it was because hockey season has started up again. Do you love watching your child play hockey? Absolutely. Do you look forward to hockey season being over, at least for a little while? Absolutely.
We all know that once the season starts up again life gets filled up with so many extra things to do that it’s hard to feel like you have time available for you. The family always seems to come first.
Here are some ways you can use hockey season to have Mom time. There is no reason why you can’t have both. And maybe it’s a matter of taking a different look at how you spend your time.
Pack A Hockey Bag
Remember back to when you were pregnant with your children and you had a bag packed with essentials, just incase you needed to go to the hospital quickly? Go find yourself a bag, one that’s big enough to hold a range of different things. You are going to call this “Moms Hockey Bag.”
Sit down and create a list of the things you love to spend time doing. Here’s a starting list:
- Writing in your journal
- Knitting or crocheting
- Reading
- Painting your nails
- Drinking wine – although remember you are driving
- Exercising
- Doing yoga
- Walking
- Listening to music
- Napping
If you were to pack essentials to do the things you love off this list, what would you need to have on hand to do that thing? The thing to remember is that if you have the time to pack your child’s hockey kit after cleaning it all, then you also have time to pack your own care kit.
Plan Your Time
You might think that’s not easy to do with everything you have going on, and you will find that you get more you time if you do. Having your child’s training schedule will help you with doing this. Think about having a 30 minute massage on a day/night when they have a 90 minute practice session. Plan a meet up for a dinner with girlfriends on another 90 minute training time. Sure you will need to go to a food place that is reliable, and you’ll know where they are.
Chill Out
How long has it been since you actually stopped and really relaxed? And I don’t me sitting down with a cup of coffee for five or ten minutes. The relaxing I am talking about is forgetting everything except being present. Switch off your mind. Sit and close your eyes and listen to the sounds of the rink and practice. What do you notice?
Notice how you are thinking about what you’ll cook or eat? Notice how your mind is already into tomorrow and the days beyond. Stop and bring your focus to the present moment. Where are you? Feel yourself sitting or standing. Notice how that feels. Is it cold, warm, in between?
Learning to be present is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. It truly allows you to have down time.
Re-evaluate What Mom Time Is
What if you reconsidered what Mom time is? Have you considered that having time for you may be being a Mom. Being there at the rink with your child or children, engaging with them, watching them, soaking up the time that you get to spend with them doing something they love.
It's funny how some times we think we need our own alone time for us to have ‘our time.’ And yet, for a certain period in time we are Moms. Sure, you will always be a Mom, and what I mean is that there are a short number of years in which your children depend on you. Once they are old enough to be independent and drive, that all changes.
So, what if having You time was you as in all of you? You and your children, being together. If you treasured that time with them, and was 100% present in that space, with them, what an amazing gift to give not only yourself but also your children.
Karen Cherrett, is a Mindset Coach helping people understand the impact their mindset has on their life, good and bad. She helps with anxiety, stress, overwhelm, depression and in developing coping skills for daily life.