Today, I took my own advice.

I unplugged.

And my guess, Midlife Momma, is that you too, may feel like you need to unplug from life from time to time.

It’s Okay to Unplug – to REST

As a flight attendant, one thing I struggle with is not having a consistent schedule and feeling like I’m always playing catch-up.

And when I walk through the door after a long three-day trip of flying, and people, and dealing with three or four different time zone changes, I just want to unplug from everything.

I want to stop doing and just be. 

I want to sip coffee all day in my pajama’s, allow my mind to wander, to create, to think, to pray, to process.

On days like this I often turn to writing.

But even writing was hard today. It was hard all weekend. So many things, tasks, and people vying for my attention. I’m tired. I’m weary. And I feel it.

So today, I decided to really unplug, and rest.

It was good to be and not do.

But I had to fight the guilt demons and give myself permission to do so.

It’s Okay to Unplug – to Recharge

Why do we feel so guilty when we take time to recharge our Midlife Momma soul? Is it because, for so many years, we were so used to “doing it all?”

Activity and constant motion is every mamma’s normal.

Rest seems more like a thing of luxury.

So when a good friend texted me last night to get together, I gave myself permission to step away for a few hours to be. We met for lunch, today. It was good for my soul to connect with another human. We had not seen each other in several years. There was much life to catch up on. We laughed. We cried. We sipped tea. We ate. We prayed. And we enjoyed each others company.

Today, was a good recharge day.

And I think…being with good friends is a fantastic way to recharge your weary midlife soul.

It’s Okay to Unplug – to RElaunch

I had a different blog post planned for today.

I decided to save it for another day.

Today, I just want to say:

“Hello  I hope you are doing well. I hope you had a good day. I hope you aren’t feeling overwhelmed by life’s challenges…and an endless list of do more.”

I hope you can find a way this week, to unplug and just be. 

I’m especially thinking of and praying for those of you struggling through various life challenges – hard transitions – empty nest.

Midlife can be wonderful for so many reasons – but it can also be hard for even more reasons.

And depending on the kind of transition you are going through, if you’re not careful, things can get out of balance real fast and wreak havoc on your entire being.

Guess how I know this. (wink)

Rest, Recharge, & Relaunch – in that order

As we say in flight attendant world…“put your own mask on before helping others.” The lesson is an obvious one:  “You’ll be of no use to others if you’re not breathing.”

One of the beautiful things about midlife is that we no longer have to plan and work around our kids lives and schedules. We can set a new pace for our lives. And that looks different for everyone. We all continue to have areas of responsibility that demand our attention.

There will be times when you need to give yourself permission to unplug so you can rest and recharge, so that you can relaunch into a place of renewed strength and energy and vision and passion and creativity.

I hope you will do so tired Momma.

If you are struggling and need to unplug, this week I invite you to consider how God has wired you.

• What makes you want to unplug?  What depletes you?  What robs you of your energy, joy, and creativity?
• What does rest look like for you?
• Do you like to unwind by listening to music? Do you like to go for a walk? Take a nap? Read?
• What will you do this week to rest?
• How will you recharge your heart, mind, body and soul?
• Plan it and get it on your calendar.

Your midlife is an important season of your life, friend. And I’m quite confident that God has amazing plans for you.

But before he launches you into the next chapter of your life, you need to know how he has wired you. You need to know when to rest. When to recharge. And when to relaunch and get after it again.

The holidays are upon us and things about to get real crazy.

Rest up Momma. Pace yourself. Enjoy the journey. Use this season as a time of focusing on what matters most. And I’m here to remind you that YOU matter.

You matter to God and to the people in your life that love you and need your love and care and compassion and kindness and talents.

I pray that you will find the grace to unplug from the daily grind when you need to so that you have the strength of heart to endure when you need to.

Have a great week!

Betsy

SaveSave