Here's why I took a week off for self-care
/So honestly, I thought it was going to be enough to have a week off after the event took place. I was sadly mistaken. Following the event I had meetings scheduled that were supposed to take place and I found myself delaying and scrounging for time to rest. Nothing was working, I was tired and I was short tempered. I did not find any energy to give to Aiden or myself and I was all over the place. I struggled at work. I struggled at home. What better way to pull myself together than to just take a week to focus on sleep, rest and overall self-care. So I deleted social media from my phone, set the expectation for myself to not post anything or do anything related to my brand. Believe it or not, it was the best thing I could’ve done for myself.
In my week off from social media I was re-introduced to picking up a book and reading, meditation, as well as Aiden and my daily routines. You never know how time consuming social media usage is until you remove it. I found myself wondering “OK what am I about to do?” And in those moments, especially when Aiden was already sleeping, I was extremely intentional about what I would do next. I made sure to either pick up a book or ask my Amazon Echo to start a guided meditation. It was so interesting how I was able to resume activities that I was previously participating in, but had become so routine that I didn’t even know when they were no longer present. So often we get stuck in our day-to-day that we don’t even think to sit back and reflect on what we’re actually doing. It’s all about being mindful—being aware of each and every step. We become robots to our routines in aren’t even aware of what we’re engaging in sometimes. So I encourage us all to always take a break, step back to reset and refresh, so that we are able to be connected and resume things that are beneficial to us.
I feel refreshed and renewed because I took the time to focus on rest and reflection. It has made me a better me. I’ve been able to show up at work and at home. I’ve been happier. I’ve been more focused. I’ve been meal prepping again!
It was necessary for me to take this break even from blogging because I was experiencing writers block, not finding joy in what I was trying to share with you all and just feeling completely drained. So I refilled my cup I have something to give, something to pour and now I’m here. So I want you all to take this post as a message to yourself to stop and find time to focus on you so you’re able to show up in every area of your life. Don’t forget that we all deserve a break and sometimes we have to be intentional to make sure this happens
Here are some things that I did during my week-long reset:
Increased water intake
Focused on preparation for each day (prepared my and Aiden’s bag at night, meal prepped in the beginning of the week, picked out clothes)
Put energy into my outfits
Cleaned as I go (especially when cooking)
Meditate every morning (5-10 minutes)
Put my phone down! (I encourage everyone to schedule time to put the phone down)
Scheduled time to respond to emails
Resumed reading AND listening to audiobooks
Started actively listening to music again
Scheduled time sitting outside for myself at work
Scheduled my regular nail maintenance and invested in gel pedicures (no more chipped polish y’all)
Monitored my energy after phone conversations with certain people and adjusted accordingly (this also means being intentional and protecting your peace with who you speak to and when)
Here’s what I want you to take away. Start small. Your iPhone is your friend. Use it to set reminders, set limits on your own screen time. Pull yourself together. Create new routines or you resume old ones, so you can feel better.
