It's Been a Tough Year

It's been a tough year. The pandemic, life stress, work stress and the biggest hardship of all — losing my mother. And when we're stressed, it can be so easy to lose touch with ourselves. We get into grind mode, trying desperately to just keep everything afloat while forgetting how beautiful it is to swim. We forget to take care of ourselves beyond necessity. I'll admit, I've done that this year. In doing so, I fell into a deep depression. My realization now is that I can't be the best Mom or friend or professional or human if the well is empty. I have to do things for myself in even the smallest of ways. Sometimes those small shifts make the biggest difference. Recently, I've started a nightly skincare ritual because I saw my skin changing drastically. It's especially hard to do when I'm exhausted, but I've found that now I look forward to it. This little shift has made such a difference in how I feel and how my skin feels. Small things. Small shifts in your daily grind. Maybe it's treating yourself to a little something. Or slightly rearranging a space in your home. Changing the sheets. A small something that gives you some comfort. Whatever it is, may it lead to other more significant shifts. It's starting to for me.