Hey friends.

This is your reminder to be mindful of yourself. I know there is a lot going on. Bills to get paid, kids to watch, homes to clean, work to do, and relationships to focus on.

Truth is, life has been hitting me all week.

I have a worse friend called anxiety. She comes when she wants and leaves when she pleases. Her best friend is exhaustion. My body fell into both between all the tasks needed to get done and giving 100% to my baby. 

I started to notice a change in my physical and mental health. I didn’t seem like myself. I was hurting and trying to push through that hurt rather than take steps to deal with it. 

My body and mind felt exhausted. I felt like I had run the marathon of my life, but I was only doing my everyday tasks. Except, when there is your baby involved, everyday tasks feel like that marathon. 

One day after feeling overstimulated, breaking down, and physically exhausted, it hit me that I needed to listen to my body. I did not need to keep pushing through, at least not until I focused on myself and what was wrong. 

I began to change my eating habits, and focus on exercising and intentional breathing. I asked for help more and talked about the way I had been feeling. I began to pour into my body so I am able to continue to pour into my family. 

Listen, friend. I say all this to say listen to your body and be mindful of yourself. If you need rest, take that rest. If you need that mental health day, take it. If you know that you have not been taking care of yourself the way you need to, start taking measures to do so. 

Here are 5 ways to pour into yourself:

1. Meditate. Do some intentional breathing and just slow things down.
2. Tell yourself it’s okay to ask for help. If it is there take it. Do not try to overstimulate yourself.
3. Journal. Write down what’s been going on. Think about how you’ve been feeling physically and emotionally.
4. Rest. When you can get a nap in, take it. Then wake up to feel refreshed, revitalized and rejuvenated.
5. Pray. Do this as much as you need. Go to a quiet place and just pray. If you are beginning to feel overwhelmed, pray. If you just experienced the best moment of your life, pray. Just pray.

Life gets chaotic, but you must remember to take care of yourself through that chaos. We have one life to live. Live it with intention and care. Stop and smell the roses for a second. Learn to enjoy what brings you peace. Pour into yourself. Rest. Until next time, 

Peace, Love, and Happiness.