Happy Holidays! The season may look different this year than in years past, but I have to say, this was one of the best Christmases I can remember. My son (2 years 10 months old) loved every single present he got and wanted to play with each one before we could convince him to open another one. He drew on a rainbow scratch pad, played with Peppa Pig characters, bowled, got a huge kick out of recording his voice on a microphone and playing it back, banged the keys on a toy piano…and I had the joy of watching his excitement. My daughter (4 months) was pretty relaxed all day, just taking it all in.
Whew…what a whirlwind the last two weeks have been. I think I’ve read and heard the word “unprecedented” more in the last few days than in my entire life up to this point. We are all experiencing big changes and preparing for scary possibilities that seem to be growing more probable with each day. Worries abound, and maintaining some sort of normalcy right now is a real challenge.
A few of the daily habits I established at the start of this year are serving me well in recent days. Managing my mind has been particularly important — it’s easy to get caught up in the panic, read too many news articles, let nearly every conversation center on the virus and the economy, and lose focus on the tasks before me. To counteract these tendencies and combat anxiety, I’ve been doing the following:
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might be under the impression that I am some wise, blissful, perfectly balanced person who has life all figured out. Well, let me assure you, I do not always have it all together. I’m stumbling through life just like everyone else, striving to be the best version of myself, and constantly reevaluating my priorities and goals.
Sometimes I go back through my old writings in an effort to get myself back on track and remember what I was thinking during moments of clarity. The truth is that I often need to reiterate my guiding principles to myself, because it can be easy to fall back into old habits and thought patterns. This is why, I think, many religious people read passages of scripture daily — if we want to live out our values, it helps to continually review them and keep them top of mind. The beauty of writing on a regular basis is that it allows me not only to see how far I’ve come, but to recognize patterns in my thinking and behavior and to hold myself accountable for doing the things I said I would do.
Lately, I’ve found myself especially in need of some reminders. So I’ve looked back to past posts and rounded up some sage advice from past me to present me. Here’s some of what I’ve needed to hear recently:
My son and I both came down with a cold this week (not surprising given that he started day care last week), so this seems like a good time to discuss self care. Over the past few years, the concept of self care has taken over the internet, with women’s websites constantly telling us we need to escape from our lives and indulge ourselves with expensive products, time-consuming rituals, and unhealthy splurges — as if we need one more thing to do. (Ever notice that these self-care articles rarely seem to be directed at men? I guess the assumption is that they already know how to take care of themselves.)
