Sooooo, I totally imagined spending my first Self Care Sunday of 2021 either relaxing in the bed or sneaking out for a much needed pedicure and a trip to Home Goods. But instead mommy duty calls and we are in route to pick up my sweet girl Kai from Tallahassee. She’s been with her dad in Mississippi for the last three weeks enjoying some much needed daddy daughter time. While I didn’t plan on being in the car for 14 hours on the last day before I return to work after an amazing nearly two weeks off, here we are. (Shoutout to the hubby for driving and being such an awesome dad. He couldn’t wait to get on the road and go get his baby back!)
Since I’m not able to really deep dive into a self care routine today, I felt like I needed to take a deeper look at why self care has to be a focus for me this year. I have always struggled to focus on what I really need to strive and be healthy mentally. Being a people pleaser for a stint of my adulthood and then focusing only on my children kept me from really finding what makes me happy. I love my girls so much, but I realized that one day they will grow up and leave me. Then what will I have? I mean I’ll have my husband but he can’t fill those empty spaces that the girls often occupy now with their ongoing list of needs, wants, and requirements. My days begin and end with someone needing me and I needed to shift that energy. I don’t want to be everything to everyone while being nothing to myself. It leaves you with an empty bucket and no one to fill it. Here’s the thing though...you can fill your own bucket by taking the time to pour into yourself. This year I am learning how to fill my own bucket. A major part of my self care journey has been understanding that I deserve to be happy and that I alone am responsible for making that happen each and every day. Hubby can‘t do it no matter how hard he tries. The babies can’t do it even though they are definitely my greatest accomplishment. No one can do it but me. (PRESSURE APPLIED!!!) It won‘t always be easy nor will it always happen. (Some times I get in a real funk and it’s hard to pull myself out of it. Just being honest.) But it is the shift that I know I need and I am excited about it.
So here we are at day 3 of 2021 and I am manifesting happiness. I’m thankful to be able to drop what I’m doing or planning to do to pick up some of my most precious cargo, my daughter, and share some fun family road trip time. This self care Sunday may not turn out to be disappointing after all. If 2020 taught me nothing else, it taught me not to be solid in planning and to always be flexible.
Check out the self care challenge below and let’s see how many items we can check off this month. If you struggle like I often to do to really stick to a self care plan, then find a friend, share this article, and make them your accountability partner. I just checked off number 7! 😊
Click here: A word of affirmation for you Queen!