Its 2025 – Happy New Year!
2024 was a challenging but a transformational year for me – I went from having one little one to having two under two. I also took on more responsibilities. With all these challenges came a tremendous amount of stress – so much so I kept chugging along to get my never ending to-do list done while I was in labour (I didn’t know) and kept thinking I needed to sit. My husband practically dragged me into Women’s Hospital and 3 hours later our daughter was born. I got to spend 4 months during the summer at home with my two cuties and also had my parents’ home from their trip that ended up being too long due to health concerns. During my short maternity leave I was able to help take care of my Dad as much as I could. I see patients who live daily in their stress response of their nervous system and I know as a Chiropractor how hard that is on your body. And as a Chiropractor – I for the first time felt this same pressure daily and realized a month in that I was running high on survival mode. I stated doing a few things to see help regulate my Nervous system.
Exercise
Look at this adorable otter we saw!
Now I wasn’t going to the gym as it was hard for me to leave both my 17 month old at the time and 1 month old. They both present their own unique challenges but one thing is for sure- they both love walks. We aregrateful to have had a family member gift us their double stroller and it’s been my best friend. We would walk at least once a day for about 30 mins- 1 hour at first during my early postpartum days – either in the neighborhood or a mall, grocery store or our favorite- Dollarama. When it was fall my husband and I had a goal to explore new trails in our neighborhood and walk about 5 km every evening. It was so much fun finding hidden gems and connecting with nature and our neighbors. We also made some fun memories seeing different animals around and in the creeks. Any form of exercise is better than no exercise.
Find a hobby
I have a few hobbies but the one I was drawn to the most during this season of my life is Baking. December is always a busy time in our house when it comes to baking- I make cookie tins for my colleagues, friends and family. This year – December was rough and stressful. So I decided to challenge myself to bake 5 different types of cookies, bake and decorate more cakes and cupcakes with more tips I learned.
Spend time with people you love being around
Now read this one carefully, it says people YOU love being around not just family and friends. 2024 I learned that my energy shifts a lot depending on which groups of people I am around. I never want to pour from an empty cup with my loved ones, so I started really noticing where my energy changes would happen. There is nothing worse than spending an hour feeling your energy being drained and feeling worse with a group of people than spending 10 minutes and feeling so energized with a group of people. Instead I learned setting limits for myself with whom and what I did during those times. Having a great support group helps a lot and making genuine connections is my goal for 2025.
Eat well as much as you can
We made a lot of meals this past year at home and it affected our mood drastically. Like they say, you are what you eat. When we were eating salads with our dinners every night we felt so much better. Come winter we slowly got away from that and our dinners got a bit more bland. Now that I am back at work part time we have started trying new recipes with either the instant pot or slow cooker just to keep our taste buds fresh.
Sleep
Now this one was a little hard and still is as my little one doesn’t sleep well through the night. But any moment I could catch sleep at night is worth it! Reading a book before bed has helped a lot too.
Getting adjusted with regular Chiropractic care and getting massages have helped tremendously in regulating my nervous system! I hope my little catch up was interesting for you to read and I promise I will try my best to a bit more regular with posting for the small few who follow this blog :).
