Playing Catch Up

I have taken a bit of time off from blogging for many reasons this week. The winter is slowly coming to an end and it doesn't seem to be giving up without a fight. The snowstorms keep coming and it has been quite cold. Today was a bright and sunny day. It was in the high 30's, which felt warm in comparison to previous weeks, and the snow even melted a tiny bit.
Last week, I worked a little at reorganizing my book shelves. This meant selecting a small pile of books that I know I'll never read (I got them from a friend who was clearing out her collection) to be donated. It also meant packing away some of my cookbooks. I have five boxes of cookbooks packed away and I still have a handful of cookbooks left on the shelf. I can't imagine how many boxes it will take to pack up all of my books; that is an unnerving thought. The project took way longer to complete than I'd anticipated. After all of that work, I was exhausted; so I took a few days off from the project. I am trying to get my space clean and organized in time for Spring. This way, I will have a safe and relaxing place to go to while I go bananas cleaning the rest of the house for Spring cleaning. It's not entirely perfect, but it's getting there.
While I was cleaning out my closet, I recovered my yoga mat. I used to do yoga every day when I was in my 20's. Then, it was physically impossible for me to continue the practice, so I stopped. Lately, I've decided to resume the exercise. I really need it to be a part of my life again. I find that it is beneficial for my physical strength and the deep breathing is fantastic for keeping me calm. Yesterday I wasn't feeling well. I had this strange sensation in my head and I woke with an unusual kind of headache. I wake up with headaches often, but this was very different. The pain didn't go away and I found that by the afternoon, I was very spacey and having trouble with breathing. I panicked a bit, then I realized what was happening. I have been under a bit of stress lately and I have been experiencing emotions that I was not addressing. My body was telling me that the stress of everything was harming me. I used some deep breathing, focusing on my breath. I calmed myself down and decided that I really needed to acknowledge what I was feeling and I need to get back to doing the things that I enjoy. The pain  and pressure in my head went away after I calmed myself down.  Now that Spring is nearly here, it will be easier for me to return to my crafts and to also try to get back to painting again. More than anything, I need to take care of myself. Needless to say, I've been cleaning, baking and taking steps to be more productive. There will be more crafting and sewing soon. So, that is what I've been up to lately. Although life hasn't been tremendously exciting, it has been eventful and I am looking forward to seeing some positive changes coming my way. I'm even looking forward to seeing dandelions! Until next time~ Toodahloo!