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Help me get off this fast train! | Verna Smoker

We had the biggest garden in the neighborhood! No kidding. 

We went out early in the morning, walked through rows and rows of corn until the wheel barrow was full and over flowing only to have to huck each ear that we picked and making sure not to let that white hair on the cob.

On the same day we picked what seemed to me like at least a hundred rows of peas and…(long rows I might add), but in all reality maybe 6 or 7 rows. And get this…we hauled the peas all by hand! The day my mom found a place to take the peas that actually went into a machine, imagine that! and… bingo…done! That was the best day ever! 

Why is it that we feel the need to be productive all the time and… guilty if we’re not?

For me… it’s the culture I was raised in. I was taught to work and work hard. Always another weed to pull in the garden. Clean the house, help with meal prep…(not really my cup of tea). For the most part my older sister cooked and I cleaned. I preferred it that way. Lazy was not in our vocabulary. But one thing I learned is work ethic and for that I am grateful.


Do you feel guilty taking a nap in the middle of the day? I know I do, I feel like I always need to be productive. Really now; I certainly don’t want to look lazy do I? But guess what? I’m starting to change that mind set. In fact today I did just that! I took a nap! And it felt amazing!!

I’m learning that I need to be kind to myself. To treat my body and my mind with respect. Taking care of me is important. I may be learning it a bit late in life but non the less… It’s true. If I don’t schedule something and put (ME) on my calendar, I wouldn’t get it done. And no, it’s not being selfish to take care of you. In fact, it should be a priority. If mama is tired and grouchy ain’t no one happy and believe it or not… we do set the tone and the atmosphere in our home. If MaMa ain’t happy; ain’t no one happy. I kinda don’t like that.

Recharging our batteries is so so important!
Here are things I do:

  • shopping totally by myself with no agenda and no time frame
  • coffee with a friend at my favorite coffee shop
  • sitting on my porch with a good cup of coffee and no agenda
  • getting a pedicure while sitting on a relaxing massage chair 
  • taking a walk with my dog

Most times I am energized by people but I do need my space and alone time too.

Maybe just a walk is all you need. Walking can help relieve stress. It’s when I think and pray and listen to music. Did you know that breathing fresh air and feeling your body move is a natural stress-relief?

Studies found that walking in a natural environment had greater effects for stress relief than walking in an urban setting. If you don’t live in the country, try finding a park or a beach a lake or the mountains… somewhere where you are surrounded by nature and see if it makes a difference. Remember, it’s like charging your batteries. Dead batteries get you no where.

But…back to that nap! I think I’ll do more of those. Seriously!  And without guilt. Well maybe just a twinge.

So…how do you recharge and refuel? What are some ways you unwind from the stresses of life? Please comment below.

I highly recommend that power nap! Even 15 minutes. It’s really ok. Just remind yourself you’re not lazy. Just like we keep our car full of gas to keep going down the highway…so it is with our bodies.
We need to refuel (US) so we can keep going for our families and... all the demands put on us as women. 

By all means I highly recommend putting a diffuser with essential oils in your home and also in your bedroom while you sleep. 
Check out some of my favorites self care, feel good oils.
  • Orange - Uplifting 
  • Stress Away - (my favorite) helps remove stress
  • Rosemary -eases anxiety
  • Basil - fights mental fatigue 
  • Helichrysum - clarifying and grounding
P.S.
Self care is not being selfish. In fact it’s essential in finding peace in this crazy, sometimes overwhelming world we live in. We are better at supporting other by being refreshed and strong in order to serve and support other.


Smile at someone today, it’s contagious
Verna Smoker
Young Living Support



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Meet Verna Smoker

 

The moment we heard the doctor say…


“ITS A BOY”


My husband and I were over the top excited with the birth of our second child.


Those words were music to our ears, UNTIL the music was drowned out by, “Your baby boy has a birth defect, your son is born with spina bifida”. The next few days were a blur of emotions. I was scared, really scared.


I was 22 years old. We were young parents. This was not suppose to happen!


We were told that our baby would need a shunt placed in the ventricles of his brain to relieve the pressure of the spinal fluid on his brain, better known as, hydrocephalus. This was all so foreign and terrifying. Surgery after surgery became our baby’s life.


FEAR, SADNESS, ANGER, DISAPPOINTMENT, GUILT and BLAME on MYSELF became part of my world. Would our baby boy have brain damage? Would he walk? Let alone…live?

Surgeries and long hospital stays all took a toll on my emotional well being.


Instead of being raw and vulnerable with my feelings, I buried them. I was “Super Mom” (or at least that’s what I thought). I learned to wear a mask and I was good at it. I looked the part and I acted the part because I was “Super Mom”. 


However, I pushed my feelings down DEEPI pretended they were not there. This way I DID NOT NEED TO FEEL so deeply. It took awhile to notice, years to be exact, but I was slowly losing control of my emotions. My stress was going through the roof. Panic attacks and depression became real in my life.


Years passed.... 


At the age of 23, our son developed a brain infection which caused him to have colonic status seizures (you know, the kind that do not stop except through medicinal interventions). TERRIFYING to watch!

To top it all off, my husband survived a heart attack (thankfully he is doing well), my mom died of breast cancer, and a few years later my dad died of bladder cancer.


All of this added even MORE STRESS and WORRY.


By Gods grace, and because of our deep faith in HIM, we have and continue to weather the storms. 


Because of the RESEARCH I've done, today, WE DO LIFE differently. We’ve discovered ways to implement and make changes that support our IMMUNE SYSTEMS as well as our EMOTIONAL and BRAIN health. We’ve made changes in the amount of TOXINS that we surround ourselves with. We have become more aware of how “toxic exposure” has an affect on the internal structure of our brain and can trigger both short and long term effects. 


I’ve also found ways to manage my stress level. Those terrifying panic attacks no longer torment me. We have  found the tools we need to live our BEST LIFE, and for that, I am grateful. 


It's our life, and though there are parts of it that we continue to look for solutions in, we will continue to move forward. 


LIFE IS A JOURNEY, and it is BEAUTIFUL. 


If any part of my story connects with your own story I would love to chat and connect with you.



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