At the end of 2019, I wrote that I hadn't spent a lot of time writing last year. The words hadn't come so easily, and I didn't have much that I could say- not at least to the world. Older children=privacy barriers. I need to find a way to fix that. Maybe that's my cue to get creative. My kids are a huge part of my life and my identity, but they aren't all of it. I need to get creative on the things I write about because despite not being able to write much about my kids, there are innumerable amounts of things I could be talking about, and writing is so cathartic. I need to keep doing it. Clearly, we have some time to get the ball rolling on that, so......
With that being said, I thought I'd write a post on the things that are saving my life right now. Jen Hatmaker has a podcast that I like to listen to when I have the time, and she always ends them the same way- by asking her guest what is saving their life right now. Sometimes the answer is light hearted and funny. Other times it is deeper and more meaningful. My hope is to find some positivity in the midst of the struggle. Feel free to add some of yours to the list also!
1. Journaling every day- Ten years from now, we are going to look back at this time, and I want to remember what we did to pass the time. Some days I set a timer and just write a stream of consciousness- not really caring what I put down. Other days, I just write a bulleted list of what we did. Both are sufficient!
2. Keeping a morning routine- I still try to set my alarm to wake up when I would for school. That small window of time before my kids wake up gives me clarity and helps me set intention for the day. I use that time to journal, do my devotions, do my gratitude practice, read a book, watch a video, meditate, write my to do list for the day- some of those happen every morning, but some of them I pick and choose different ones to do every day. It definitely helps me stay focused throughout the day!
3. Move my body- I literally have no excuses now. Shucks. Haha! But really, moving my body clears my head and helps with my stress. I have a few dumbbells, so I do a workout video or go for a walk every day. Many days- both.
4. Get outside- Having depression and anxiety during a time like this can be very difficult. Too much time has been a trigger for me in the past, so I have to find ways to make sure those things don't take over. Fresh air and working out were two big ones my doctor told me that were key to keeping those demons at bay. So far they have worked!
5. Finding productive ways to pass the time- I try to have a few things that I can put on my to do list every day to feel accomplished. So far I've cleaned out one storage room and the downstairs bathroom. Lots more on my list, but even if I only get through half of it before we are finished, that's that much less I have to do this summer. :)
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| Not my room, but could have passed for it HAHA! |
6. Stay away from the news and social media- This one is hard for me. If I'm not staying busy, it's so easy to be mindlessly scrolling social media. It's not good for my mental health guys. I try to limit my Covid-19 exposure to the daily press conference from our governor and messages from the CDC. While I am not perfect at abstaining, I am getting better every day.
7. Doing our part to help our local economy and other small businesses- Dan and I are so grateful that we both are still getting a paycheck during this time. We have continued to try and do our part to help our local restaurants by ordering from them while they are only able to do take out. I've tried to buy my books from small independent bookstores who I'm certain are struggling, buying cupcakes from our favorite cupcake business- Frosted in Sanborn, and then using those cupcakes to bless others. Making someone's day really does help lower my own stress.
8. Connecting with my family- My kids are a little older, and therefore, the desire to spend time with us isn't as appealing as it once was when they were younger, but regardless, we have found ways to connect even if it's only for a little while at night. Some of those include but are not limited to nightly supper together, puzzles, family kahoot, game night, dusting off our old xbox 360 and playing Rock Band and Kinect Sports, and watching movies. I'm hoping to have us pull off a cooking competition in the next few days.
9. Staying connected to my people- I'm so grateful we live in 2020 with the ability to stay connected while being apart now more than ever. Between Snapchat, Zoom, texting, e-mail, Google Classroom, and Facebook/Instagram, I am able to stay connected to people while having to stay home. That has been such a blessing.
10. Making space for creativity- I will never be the craft mom. Not sorry about it, but I do have creative outlets that I don't make time for like I should. Two of those are writing and photography. Like I said, I'm doing more journaling and hoping to blog a bit more. I am taking a mini 8 day photography course by a blogger that I follow, and hoping to document more of our time at home during quarantine. I may even hit up Skillshare for a class or two and take our camera out to practice.
What is saving your life right now? I'd love to hear!!
