Self Care – More Than a Buzzword

Self Care is not a stranger to this blog! Self care and mental wellness mean so much to me because of my journey with mental illness as well as navigating the mental health of my close loved ones. I do my best to practice what I preach (though I fall short many times) which is why I took a break from blogging and running my business for a month. Today I’m going to share what that break has done for me!

Roll with the Punches

Life has a funny way of happening and throwing us the most absurd obstacles. There’s a scripture that I like to keep in mind at Ecclesiastes 9:11 – “I have seen something further under the sun, that the swift do not always win the race, nor do the mighty win the battle, nor do the wise always have the food, nor do the intelligent always have the riches, nor do those with knowledge always have success, because time and unexpected events overtake them all.”

Keeping this scripture in mind helps me keep things in perspective, and is also what helped me not have a complete meltdown when I found out we had to move out of our home in 60 days. Yea you heard right. Our landlord sold our rental property to an investment group but gave us the impression that they’d honor the length of our lease. Instead, we received notification that we had 60 days to vacate which is very legal by Georgia law.

I felt like someone gut punched me. We were always planning to move but not until the end of our lease which was in October. Needless to say, we had to act quickly to get ahead of things. In the midst of that, hubby and I were due to celebrate our 12 year anniversary, my oldest child was graduating and I’ve been jumping through hoops to prepare for weight loss surgery.

This news was unwelcome, but was happening with or without my permission. So, instead of trying to do it all and juggle it all; I opted to take my own advice and practice the self care that made the most sense to me.

Guess What? Life Didn’t Implode

While it wasn’t ideal, my life didn’t implode on me. Not taking time to blog or create Youtube content or struggle to ship packages throughout a chaotic move did wonders for my mental health. I didn’t feel overwhelmed, and I was able to focus my attention on the more pressing matters in my life.

While many people have offered their well-intentioned unsolicited advice regarding how to be a successful content creator; I decided to disregard all of it and listen to what my mind and body said I needed to do.

I‘m Really Glad I Took the Break

For the first time in a long while, I didn’t crumble under stress. I maintained my composure, my spiritual routine of worship and Bible study, and even a healthy intimate relationship with my husband despite the mounting pressure. And while every day wasn’t a great day, we found a new home within a week of our notice and managed to move before our end date! Throughout it all, my mind felt as stable as it could and I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt for doing what I needed to do for myself and that is PROGRESS for me believe me!

The Wrap Up

I’m no mental health guru so I don’t offer medical advice. However, I do promote caring for your mental health because of the significant impact it has on our physical health. With a society that pressures us to do the most all the time, to grind 24/7; it felt good to rebel against a system which cares very little about the minds of the people in it. If I can encourage you to do anything today let it be PRACTICE SELF CARE!

Until next time,