I had a rough week last week, y'all. Insecurity, anxiety, exhaustion and a cold, hard dose of parenting reality (my babies are growing up whether I'm ready or not!) had me on the ropes. In the past, I would have gone to bed. No, I"m not exaggerating. I would have put my rain sounds on, turned on some sad music, crawled into bed and made a blanket burrito until I spent enough days (yes, I mean days) hiding from the world and my feelings.
But this is supposed to be my Year of Yes and that means not doing the same old things, the same old way. Especially when those things don't serve me. It's one thing to take a step back and take the time to renew, refresh, and recenter. That's healthy. It's another thing entirely to retreat from the world, convinced you're trash and deserve all the bad things to happen to you and only you. My blanket burritos kept me safe from the outside world but at the cost of being present in my life and the lives of my children.
So no blanket burritos this time. I took the bold (and terrifying) step of being open with the fact that I was struggling. I shared my insecurities with my friends and received an outpouring of support and encouragement. I talked to my therapist about how to be more proactive about rather than reactive to my anxiety. I realized part of my exhaustion was because in a bid to cut back on caffeine I switched from sodas and coffee (it's a work in progress lol) during the day to a "stress relief" herbal tea recommended by my mama. Turns out my mama's idea of "stress relief" is to take a nap b/c the tea she brought me was a bedtime tea containing valerian, lavender, and chamomile lol. I handled the inevitability of my empty nest with the utmost grace and dignity by cuddling the fuck out of my kids and making them look at their old baby pictures with me.
Don't get me wrong it was still a rough week, but I managed it to the best of my ability and now, instead of dwelling on it as I would have in the past (from within the confines of my blanket burrito), I'm learning from the positives and letting the rest go.
I'm also actively pursuing having a better week this week. Instead of just hoping for better days, I'm putting in place some fail safes like things to look forward to (such as evening walks with my daughters) mini goals I know I'll accomplish (like dropping off the bag of clothes I've been meaning to donate to the DV shelter) and scheduled time to do something nice just for me (manicure Monday is a go!) so I can get some positive emotions and experiences throughout the week.
I'm also starting my day meditation and affirmation. My kids are out of school for the summer and the absence of the get ready for school rush means my mornings just got a lot less hectic. The slower (and later) start to the day means I can take some "me time" in the morning. Ten minutes of peace and quiet, a nice cup of coffee tea meditation and affirmation. It may not sound like much but I feel like it'll help me get my day off the on the right foot.
I know you can google "daily affirmations" and get back a bazillion results. I know this, because that's exactly what I did. Then I took those as inspirations and made my own.
And now I'm inviting you guys to do the same. You don't have to make graphics like I did (even though they're super easy. I just went to Buffer.com and used their Pablo tool). You can write your affirmations on a Post-It, index card, or piece of notebook paper. They can follow a theme (such as self-love) or cover a variety of topics as long as they speak to your spirit. You can do your affirmations in the morning, or on your lunch break or even as part of nightly routine. All I want is for each and every one of you to take a moment out of your day to tell yourself something that makes you feel good, helps you grow, or furthers your purpose.
Leave a comment letting me know what your personal affirmations are. I'd love to cheer you on and create a circle of support so we can get this week started right!
XOXO,
Dylan
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