Wellbeing

A time to rest and take stock!

Another term is almost finished and holidays are almost here! It's hard to believe that we are in September already.  I don't know about you, but I have been feeling way too busy over the last few weeks and when ever anyone has asked me how I am going, I have replied, "busy".  It came to a crunch last week when one of my kids said to me, "I haven't seen you in 9 billion years". An exaggeration but the sentiment was clear, I feel like you haven't been at home enough Mum. 

Our culture for some weird reason seems to promote busyness and  promote it as a lifestyle that we should pursue. It feels that sometimes the messaging we hear is that being busy is tied up with our importance or our worth. However, being busy doesn't really leave margin for healthy rhythms in our lives and in our families. Competing demands can rob us of feeling free to stop, go slower, or say no to certain things. Prioritising time with our family or for ourselves is important and we shouldn't feel guilty about that. 

The pressures we experience are very real and often overwhelming. As a parent I know I felt guilty when my son made that comment. Busy seasons at work or in other parts of our life will come and go and that is something we have to manage and help our children understand, but I think it is important to regularly do a busyness stock take. I had to make a conscious decision at that point to do a stock take of what takes my time and be honest with myself about why I do the things I do and what can I change. 

My intention in writing this isn't to add any guilt but rather let you guys know that you are not alone. Someone shared with me that they felt their life was like being on a hamster wheel going round and round in circles and they felt stuck and couldn't get off. My hope and prayer is that for all of our community that as we share our struggles we won't feel isolated but encouraged and hopeful.  

I hope the holiday period is a special time for each of you and your kids and I look forward to term 4 with our fantastic BPS community :)

Please feel free to reach out anytime if you or your child needs a listening ear or support, even over the holidays. 

My mobile number is 0409559059 and my email is Lisa.Osborne@education.vic.gov.au