The Best Way to Slow Down and Enjoy Your Pregnancy
Your period didn’t show up on time and you made a beeline for the pregnancy tests at the pharmacy. And voila! It turned out positive. Congratulations!
You might not be feeling a drastic change in your body yet, so make it your mission this month to just let it soak in. We’ve got the perfect game plan to do just that.
Instead of plunking down on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and some action flicks, choose a calmer way to rejuvenate. Studies have found soft fascination like watching a sunset will go a lot farther for the sake of restoration than hard fascination – like that Rocky marathon you were planning. It’s true. Using brain-imaging technology, researchers have found that the same areas of the brain that are associated with love, wellness and even empathy are also exercised when people look at nature.
Permission to Slow Down
WINTER
The next snow fall your hometown gets, wrap yourself in your coziest sweater, fix yourself a cup of hot chocolate (extra marshmallows, please!) and stand by the window. Watch the chickadees, cardinals and sparrows chow down at the birdfeeder. Breathe. Reflect on this wonderful change in your life. And when your mind starts running through your to do list, stop yourself and bring your thoughts back to the birds outside. Haven’t put up a birdfeeder yet? There’s no time like the present!
SPRING
The next rainfall your town gets, grab your wellies and your raincoat and head out to your porch or garage (no need to get soaked). Watch the robins bobbing across your lawn, trying to catch worms. Take a deep breath through your nose and enjoy the smells of a fresh spring rainfall. Reflect on this wonderful change in your life. And when your mind starts running through your to do list, stop yourself and bring your thoughts back to the robins in the rain.
SUMMER
It’s hot out there, isn’t it? Grab your favourite refreshing drink (hello, cucumber water!), grab a seat outside and watch the wildlife in your backyard take a dip in your bird bath or pond. Don’t have a water source in your yard? There’s no time like the present to include one! The animals in your neighbourhood will thank you! Water is the basis for all life – from the birds to the bees. It’s also so lovely to watch chipmunks stop by for a drink of water or a robin take a bath. So sit back and soak up the beautiful view! When your mind starts running through your to do list, stop yourself and bring your thoughts back to the water.
AUTUMN
Is there anything more beautiful than the changing leaves and watching the birds flying south for the winter? If you’re lucky enough to have a deciduous tree in your backyard, hang a birdfeeder from one of its branches. Keep it topped up with birdseed so you can help songbirds and other migratory birds fatten up for their migration. And then take a few minutes to sit back with some apple cider to enjoy the colourful leaves and the birds flitting back and forth to the feeder. If your mind starts running through your to do list, stop yourself and bring your thoughts back to the view before you.
If you were a chipmunk, you would have delivered your baby by now!
The gestation period for chipmunks is about 30 days! Females have about four to six young (isn’t that a handful!), and rear them solo without any help from the males. Usually, chipmunks in Canada will only have one litter per breeding season (between April and May), but some will have a second litter in the fall. What overachievers! These lovely little chipmunks are born stark naked and completely helpless at just three grams. Their hair will start to show at the ripe old age of 10 days, their ears perk up at around 28 days, and they’ll see the world for the first time at 31 to 33 days of age.
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