I saw this definition of our current situation on social media this week. Spot on.
My goal is to practice self-care and gratitude during this crazy and uncertain time. Here is what I have been doing for self-care:
- Knitting. For me, keeping my hands busy means my brain is also busy. Win/win. Right now I am working on knitting rehab nests for rescued birds and other animals.
- Limited news. I am only reading the New York Times daily email summary. No clicking on links within the summary. I broke my rule once last week for an article that showed up in my social media feed. During Quiet Hour, I shared that I broke my rule and the husband said “please tell me you did not read the USA Today article.” Damn, he knows me too well.
- Quiet Hour. Yep, naps y’all. Every single day. Don’t judge. Some days it is the reason I wake up when the alarm clock goes off.
- Feeding my fish. They follow me around the perimeter of the pond to catch the bread crumbs I toss in. This makes my heart so happy.
- Saying no when I need to. The teen girl has her Learner’s Permit. I rode with her a few times and realized my anxious brain could not teach her to drive right now. It is me, not her. And I feel badly about it, but I just cannot add that to my things to worry about. Thankfully she is in no rush to get her driver’s license, and the husband has offered to ride with her on his days off and weekends to get her driving hours in. Just another reason he is a keeper.
Now for gratitude:
- No adjustments are being made with my job. This is a nice way of saying my job will not be cut for the upcoming program year. And I have been able to do lots of curriculum and program development. Oh and within that, I have been creating and developing Fun Packets to be given out in the community at food distribution sites. My goal was to create packets that were gender neutral, appropriate for all grade levels, include all supplies needed to complete the activities, and can be completed without adult supervision. Lofty goal, but I did it. Not once, but twice! I have personally delivered almost 1000 packets just in my areas.
- Small schools. As school officials struggle to make the decision about whether to return to face to face instruction, I am grateful that both of my teens attend super tiny and small schools. They can do the hybrid model of partial on campus and some online learning safely. If either of my teens attended a traditional public school or were planning to attend a large university, the decision would be different.
- This one seems pretty vain, but it is not meant to be. I found the best relaxing dress online. It absorbs sweat, is super flattering, and so comfy. I have ordered it in 3 colors. Get one now my mom friends. I feel better when I am in real clothes vs sweats.
- Our damn cute, always smiling pandemic puppy. She had her first play date this weekend and had a blast. She is turning out to be a pretty amazing guard dog too.
- We are “best case scenario” in our current situation. I have remind myself of this from time to time. We are healthy, have jobs, can limit our exposure, etc.
Ok friends, your turn. How are you practicing self care and gratitude right now?