Superhero Parents

Superhero parents

I’m currently writing this sitting in front of a log burner fire in a beautiful house, set in Wasdale in The Lake District. The house is right on the lake surrounded by hills, the setting could not be anymore relaxing and calming.

I’m on a retreat, escaping reality for a weekend, taking some time out for me. The retreat is run by Kate Chartres from katechartres.com, who has been guiding us through breathwork, EFT (emotional freedom technique), reiki drumming, hypnosis and guided meditation. Kate has a wide range of expertise and knowledge, she puts you at ease and gives you the necessary tools to use when life gets a bit overwhelming. Holly from Balance and Breath Yoga, Holly is a fabulous yoga teacher, very calm and positive, we had lovely relaxing yoga sessions on a night and more energetic awakening sessions in the morning, everything was done at your own pace with no expectations. We also had Becky from Bamboo Retreat18 and during the weekend we are all having a treatment, I indulged in the back, neck and shoulder message and it was amazing, I came out feeling like I was floating on air! I can highly recommend these retreats and the women that run them, with their combined skills and a magical setting it truly is a weekend to leave your troubles behind and switch off.

Have you ever thought I’d love to go to that yoga session, a lovely relaxing massage, but can’t fit it into your busy life. Or maybe you would like to learn some skills to help you manage the stressful situations we find ourselves in all too often.

Everyone needs a break sometimes but for parents navigating life with special needs children, it’s important to find time to look after ourselves, the constant worry, stresses, struggles with day to day life, heavy lifting with our children definitely take a toll physically on our bodies but just as importantly it takes it a toll on our mental health. Do you ever just feel exhausted day after day, so tired by the time you go to bed but dreading getting up in the morning and doing it all over again.

For me I find when I’m home I struggle to look after myself properly, I’m fixated on looking after everyone else. When I think about what we do at home on a daily basis it’s exhausting, getting the boys up, breakfast for Ryan (Noah is getting better at doing his own breakfast!), washing up, getting Ryan ready, changing him, helping him get dressed, putting his shoes on, coat on, getting in the car, going out with him, pushing him in his wheelchair, lunch/tea, changing him, constant cleaning/tidying up, getting him showered, ready for bed, taking him to bed, our little routine/game every night we do when he goes to bed (otherwise he would have a meltdown if we didn’t follow his routine), the constant getting up and down when Ryan shouts for us (definitely the boss in our house!), along with all the normal household chores we do. It’s monotonous day after day. Is it any wonder sometimes your body just gives up and thinks no more I need some rest and time for myself.

I enjoy these weekends because it forces you (in a good way!) to focus on you and you alone. When was the last time you just got up in the morning and only had yourself to sort out? I’ve been reading my book, a complete novelty! snoozing, going for a walk, having some lovely food, spending some quality time with my fab friends and just sitting doing nothing in between our different sessions, and you can never get tired of looking at the amazing view.

Check out Kate’s website for the retreats she runs (there is another one in the Lake District in November) and check out her blogs for some helpful tips.

I’ve got to say I do enjoy the time to myself but I look forward to going home refreshed and recharged and to the hugs and kisses from my boys and ready again to tackle whatever life may throw at us 💙