Take a Break!
[Original post 11.12.2020]
Okay y’all… I know, it’s been a minute and I’m sorry!!! I had to recharge. This past month has been extremely emotionally draining. Ya girl was TIRED!
Between being short-staffed at work, stressing over my class, doing hair part-time, taking care of my injured boyfriend, and having my bonus baby with us, I was already exhausted! Then I found out my sister was pregnant again and that just sent my emotions into overdrive. I cried for two days. (Disclaimer— it wasn’t because I’m not happy for her. My sister is a FANTASTIC mom! I had two miscarriages over the summer so it was just REALLY bittersweet.)
Well, with all that, how could I not lose my shit a little, right?!
I needed space to breathe. I needed time to stop temporarily so I could get myself together. I just needed to run away. So I did….two weekends in a row.
The first weekend, I packed a bag and drove to Maryland to see my college besties aka my chicas. We laughed until we cried, we drank, we ate very good, and we took a bunch of cute pictures. (See me with my cute chicas below.)
On Sunday, before we all took a nap together, I laid my head on Emma’s shoulder and said, “I really needed this”. (BTW, anyone else love a good friend nap? I can’t be the only one!) I hadn’t felt so care-free in a long time.
The following weekend I had a girls day with one of my best friends, THE ARIEL LAWAN. She picked me up, we drove to Richmond for the Balance Your Crown monthly event series hosted by our girl Korinn, and grabbed a good meal afterwards.(If you didn’t already know, food makes me happy.) It’s not often that Ari and I can spend an entire day together because she’s another dope mom I know and the girls are always with us. I don’t know who needed that day more between the two of us.
My soul needed to be recharged and I had to be sure that I plugged in. Don’t get me wrong, I still had a TON of stuff to do, but self-care should be a necessity for everyone. We get so caught up in trying to accomplish goals, meeting work deadlines, and being there for everyone else but ourselves! When is the last time you really checked in with yourself? How do you practice self-care? Is it sporadic or do you have a self-care routine?
Some months I have a routine, most months my self-care is sporadic. Sometimes my self-care consists of guilty pleasures and sleep, others it’s full of time with friends and some exercise. There’s more than one way to practice self-care, you just have to figure out what works best for you.
So here’s what I want you to take away from all this:
Check in with yourself regularly. Know when you’re mentally tapped out and need a break.
Schedule time to do something that makes you happy. Go for a jog, get your nails done, take a damn nap!! Your laundry list of things to do will still be there whether you take a break or not. It could be weekly, monthly, quarterly..just make time for it! Even if it’s just sitting in your car outside your house eating your favorite candy bar before you go in.
That’s it. Those two simple (or not so simple) things can change your life. Don’t get so caught up in your hustle mentality that you end up mentally unstable.
I promise you, it’s okay to press pause every now and then!
Until next time; Be You. Do You. LOVE YOU 💜
