Here are some things i came up with, when we were going through a spell of sickness after sickness and my husband was very tide up at work:
- write one sentence in a journal every day. I know it sounds very trivial, but it did restore my sense of self -- believe it or not. I also found out that a good friend of mine does the same, even though she never used to keep a journal.
- breathe mindfully whenever i can, during the everyday
- seeing the bees in the honey, the clouds in a glass of water, the beauty in my children, even when they are tormented by illness and extra-needs
- holding my children, just being there with them, awarenessing on their existence and mine
- telling me that everyday they grow toward independence
- listening to music
- dancing (with and without kids)
- laughing at challenges (cause why not?)
- calling a good friend, even just for few minutes
- recalling favourite sayings or mantras, like "never walk when you can dance", "If your cup is small, a little bit of salt will make the water salty. If your heart is small, then a little bit of pain can make you suffer. Your heart must be large." (Thich Nhat Hanh)
- visualizing myself as a perky little animal, buzzing through her day
-remembering strong women, that i admire, and visualizing their challenging moments, and how they endured
- conjuring the strength of my ancestors (mostly female ancestors), by remembering my mother, what I know of my gradmother, etc
- putting on a piece of jewelry or a special garment to feel myself, despite the lack of sleep, time, and care...
I find that these little things can help a lot. But sometimes of course, it needs someting bigger. Which will also come, at some point. Life seems to take care of everything, eventually...
Good luck!
D.