6 things I enjoyed in March
March always feels like a new beginning, with longer days and warmer temperatures. In our family, it’s also my oldest son’s birthday month, so there is always a lot of cake and time to celebrate. This year, I haven’t felt that Spring energy (yet), but I have managed to build up some slow & consistent routines that have supported me - such as a regular meditation practice, going outside for walks on my own, getting to bed before 10.30pm and being more mindful about the time I spend with my children.
This month, I’ve also enjoyed reading / watching / listening to / doing different things, so I thought I’d share some with you.
Platonic on Apple TV: We’ve recently switched from Netflix to Apple TV because we have a 3-month free subscription and I’ve decided to make the most out of that. I started watching this TV show about a boy and a girl who were best friends at university and reconnect years later as adults, with her having a family and navigating returning to the workplace after years as a stay-at-home mother and him being recently divorced and opening his own bar. I loved watching her reconnect with her past self, because it often feels like we are not “allowed” to do certain things anymore once we become mothers, like going to bars, staying up all night or going to a club (sure we’ll pay for it the next morning if we have young kids who wake up at 6am, but well…). But mainly I thought the whole show was just really funny and well-made.
The Hustle Cure by Sophie Cliff: I’m a big fan of Sophie’s work and she is one of the first coaches I followed when I started my journaling practice. So I was really excited to get her next week where she writes about productivity from a female perspective. I loved every aspect of this book, because it dives into who we are as women, how our energy levels fluctuate with our cycles and how we can embrace our own feminine strengths in a world that praises those who are “stress resistent” and pushes them to always work harder. This more gentle, yet also productive approach feels very aligned with what I have learned in my training as a Mama Rising Coach and it’s something that I want to be more mindful about in my own life.
The Motherkind Podcast: Zoe Blaskey talks on her podcast about matrescence and the motherhood journey. I’ve loved listening to different episodes, particularly also because she offers longer formats (60 mins) as well as shorter ones (10-15 mins) that might be excerpts of interviews with experts, but they are always very practical and offer insights that are helpful amidst the chaos of everyday life as a mom.
Meditation: I realised last year how much meditation can benefit me, but for some reason, I’ve struggled to implement a regular routine. It always felt like there was something more important to be done or that I was too tired to meditate. This month, I’ve tried to focus more on meditation because I have seen in the past that it allows me to feel more calm and grounded throughout my day - especially on the days where I am at home with both children. After a month of more regular meditation, I realise that I am more patient when I show up for my children or my husband, that the meltdowns have reduced a bit and that I generally feel less overwhelmed. However as soon as I don’t make the space for this, I can feel anxiety and stress creep up again. So I’m trying to continue this habit next month - not every day, but several times a week, even if only for 5 minutes. If you’d like to give it a try, I love this 3-minute kindness meditation by Amy Taylor-Kabbaz.
A solo day trip through Switzerland: this month, I had a day pass that can be used on the whole public transport network of the country for one day and it was about to expire. So my husband arranged for me to be able to go on a little train adventure on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the beginning of the month. While it sometimes feels overwhelming, because I could literally go into any corner of the country and I struggle to decide what to do, I knew that I wanted to go on a boat trip on a lake. I love being by the water and just sitting on a boat watching the scenery is one of the most calming things for me. Yet I don’t do it often enough. So on that Saturday, I took a train to Lucerne and then boarded a boat for a 2h round trip. As it was early March, it was still relatively calm on the boat and I enjoyed just sitting and watching, listening to some music and an audio book. After two hours, I was unsure if I wanted to take the long scenic route over the mountain back - but I realised I didn’t feel like spending the next 3.5h in a train. So I took a train to Zug, went for a walk by the lake and read my book. Then I headed on to Zurich, tried out some ramen at a new place my friend had told me about before heading back home. The sunny Spring weather obviously helped lift my mood, but I particularly enjoyed having a day where I had ALL the possibilities and I could choose to do what I wanted without having to look after the needs of anyone else. I still struggled to take decisions but it felt so much lighter than having to take into account everyone’s needs and all different options before taking a decision for the whole family.
Cranio sacral therapy: I’ve been feeling quite stressed and anxious in the past couple of months, so I decided to take an appointment with my cranio sacral therapist here in the area. I remember the first time I experienced this kind of therapy, we were still living in Bern and it was a couple of months after my second boy was born. I was so exhausted and depleted and I saw that the midwife I’d done pre- and postnatal yoga with was offering this. So I booked myself a session - and I have to say, it was just so relaxing. The movements are so gentle yet they have such a powerful impact on the body, and I think it’s probably the only treatment that I regularly fall asleep in. If you feel stressed or exhausted, I’d definitely recommend giving this a try!