So, this happened. I got a 2nd-degree burn while using my clothes steamer. Trust me. You don’t want to see what it looks like under the bandage—it’s all blistery and yucky. And yes, it hurt like all hell.
I’m not writing this to lament my being an accident-prone dork or to caution you about the perils of using a handheld steamer. Nope.
I’m sharing my experience as a cautionary tale to boss ladies + other solopreneurs who need a gentle reminder (though scalding myself was NOT gentle!) to slow down.
Mindfulness is not just a woo-woo term new-age folks use but rather, “Mindfulness…suggests that the mind is fully attending to what’s happening, to what you’re doing, to the space you’re moving through.”
Mind·ful·ness (noun): a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment.
You’d think that at 51 years old, I wouldn’t need a reminder to be careful while using a hot appliance, and yet, here we are.
I was not careful with myself. I didn’t practice mindfulness. I didn’t slow down, and it literally hurt me.
As a boss lady, I juggle and hustle and think about a 1,000 things at once… all the time… every.dang.day.
My brain compartmentalizes most of what I ruminate about. Still, constant perpetual busyness eventually takes its toll, and I then find myself unfocused, disorganized, and spaced out, which is exactly what happened when I burned myself.
My mind was racing, trying to focus on too many things at once, and I was not present. I was not in my body or proper mental space.
Worst, I knew I needed to slow down and quiet my mind, even if for only a few minutes, but the drive to keep going despite feeling stressed and mentally exhausted was stronger.
Do you ever run yourself so ragged that you get sick, forcing you to slow down? Yup, me too.
I don’t know which is worse, being forced to slow down from a self-inflicted sickness or injury, but both scenarios are your body (and the Universe) telling you to slow down and mind yo self before you wreck yo self.
I’m vowing to take more moments throughout the day to stop myself from trying to do “all the things” all the time.
Here are a few mindfulness activities I’m adding to my daily to-dos. Maybe they can help you too:
- Practice the 20-20-20 Rule to prevent eyestrain. Look away from the computer for 15-20 minutes, ideally at something outside in the distance.
- Use the time looking away from the computer to take deep restorative breaths. “Mindful breathing can also help us stay “present” in the moment.”
- While breathing, do light stretches to ease shoulders and relax a little. Stretching prevents injury, helps decrease spine compression from sitting all day, and allows you to check in with yourself.
It could take up to three weeks for my burn to heal, but my gnarly scar will be a painful mindfulness reminder.
You can learn from my misfortune. Be boss, handle your business, but don’t hurt yourself doing it.
