Me in December “Its been a good year hey, I don’t think I need to change much in 2019” January 2019 “ I have a lot to focus on and I need change this year” lol… Well, part of all the changes has to start with creating more ESCAPE time of course. The main reason why most of us Mamas are unable to be consistent with our hobbies is because of time limitations, no extra hands and absolute fatigue completely disregarding how revitalizing as little as 15min can be to us. I believe in ESCAPES so much and I have tried many hobbies and I must say I love most of them and today I will be sharing my 5 favorite that I find to be more practical for my busy schedule with a terrible two. In your attempt to find your favorite hobbies for 2019 I dare you to try all of these and 15min does it, you may love them so much and guess what, when you choose to do what you love, time will avail itself.

  JOGGING           

Before me even deciding to put on my tights to go jog, I used to get a little voice saying “you will get more tired, walk rather” lol… I don’t know if it’s because jogging is associated with running where we get sweaty and breathe heavily so it doesn’t feel like a relaxing activity but this is usually a dreaded activity, I used to dread it too until fatigue did a real number one me, I used to be exhausted all day but then feel wired at night, only to wake up tired again loll… a hot mess.  Jogging has to be my favorite activity now; it got me back to sleeping better at night. The most crucial time for busy moms! I love jogging in the mornings with crispy fresh air running through my lungs and listening to praise and worship songs or gqom lol… aahhhh.. getting amped just thinking about it. I think jogging gives me a sense of accomplishment with each milestone on the clock and my set track so it mentally sets us up for success but most importantly for us busy Mamas it’s a Royal Sleep guarantee.

WALKS

I often find that through all the madness we bring to our lives it takes a simple act of slowing down to live in the moment, that split second, and those moments are more effective when we connect with nature. It always balls down to that. I simple walk around the neighborhood to start or unpack the day has done a lot for my mind, I always walk back in the house so excited to do extra treats and spoils for my Pholobs. What I also love about the walk is its ability to bring us together as a family, afternoon strolls are lovely, especially after dinner, we get to catch up without any distraction like tv, laundry or the dishes and what better way to seal the day than jolly child,  while holding hands and stealing kisses with your one, instead of watching screens and switching between the news and Peppa pig to please everyone in the name of family time lol… issa mess!  

MEDITATION

Creative mind are rarely tidy, I know this because mine isn’t lol… I imagine it to be like Cinderella who never rested cleaning the house all day and getting enslaved in the process but ultimately she got what was meant for her. At the end of the day the mind is packed with all kinds of rubbish and victories all which must be unpacked and segregated to either last or get lost. I have entered into a very meaningful activity, meditation, and while I’m still such a baby in this and my mind wonders a lot, I know I want to stick around and master this one. A moment of stillness is all we need in our attempt to find the purest of internal joy. I’m on guided meditation and I find it very helpful to gather my thoughts and re-shift my focus until I don’t think at all.

A friend told me I will love this activity the most because my mind will get some rest, she was right but the more I meditate I notice that as my minds rests it creates more space for fresher ideas. I get more creative when I meditate daily, so before I open my laptop I try to meditate. I also find it to be the quickest and quietest trick to declutter and recenter my thoughts in order to move positively through my day. At home when Sama is doing my head in, I deal with her and as soon as I get some silence I take 5 minutes to meditate just to find some calmness and embrace living in the moment. I think I want to share a lot more about my meditation journey on a whole new blog post because I’m getting all kinds of Zen as I type this lol…

HIKING

“We’ve become strangers to nature and the best way to live longer, healthier lives is to re-wild ourselves by returning to nature whenever we can” I love hiking, never mind that on my first hike in 2009 I wore shorts and exposed my legs to every kind tree leaf in the bush that resulted to the most throbbing skin inflammation, a bath time I will never forget lol… but we try new things with an open mind to learn, that was ten years ago.

Connecting with nature elevates our well being. The waterfalls, green grass, massive rocks, birds melody, sun rays from blue skies through tall trees ahhh.. somebody stop me! That feeling of engaging and connecting with a larger world, outside myself. The feeling of extending myself and my perception beyond focusing on my own self, my needs, worries, regrets or desires the future. That is a feeling to own at least ones a month. I have only hiked with my husband and absolutely love it every time. We catch up, we dream and we embrace the silence. I am usually ready to take over the world after hikes lol…  this has led to the recent event that I’m planning for Mama Escapees, we are going on a hike together and the excitement is sky scrapping. It will be my first big group hike and some of the Mama will be hiking for the first time, I am grateful for the idea to bring such experiences to people and I can’t wait.

READING

I always start the year high with reading but by April I start reading less because at the end of the day id rather sleep than read and by the time I get to bet I’m a wreck and just want to end it. I was so happy to finish two books the last holidays because two books is usually a whole year’s reading for me.  The best thing about reading is living in another world, the mind escapes with the imagination together with all the emotions.

If Sama is hooked on an activity I’m able to read so we usually walk to the park and she plays while I read, I also read when I travel and sometimes when I break for lunch at work. Closing a chapter and snapping back to reality can be so annoying at times after reading because I always feel like I’ve been away for a while and now reality is calling ; the time is up, kids are screaming, I have to finish work etc wwwwhhyyyyyyy …….lol… One thing for sure though my mind feels refreshed because I like to read inspirational books so I get motivated to once again spring to life.

So Mamas this is what I have tried I’m interest in knowing which of these you find to be your favorite, I also dare you to try all of them if you haven’t  or give it another shot, my advice is to be more intentional this time around and it might surprise you how revitalizing these wellness activities can be. My list is long, I have more planned stuff to try because through diapers, dinner preps and deadlines, a Mama must Revive, Recharge and Reconnect to self. Lets Escape Mamas.