Self-Care is Important!

Self-care is so vital! Whether you have kids or not, we all need time to decompress from our daily lives, especially nowadays with COVID-19. That alone has brought so much change, fear, stress, and loss to millions worldwide. And sadly, the life that we knew before March of 2020 is no longer. It has been two years since COVID-19 hit the United States of America, and we are still dealing with this pandemic. Plus, we keep experiencing new strains of COVID-19 coming out of the woodwork and vaccines being shoved down our throats every two seconds.

So, right now, our mental health could not be more important. When your mind is unhealthy, you cannot think for yourself properly. And let's just say that right now is not the time to not be of sound mind. Sadly, it does seem inevitable for these drastic shifts alone to begin affecting people's mental health globally. Therefore, self-care must be a top priority in everyone's daily lives. This starts with getting at least 7 hours of sleep, eating healthy, and enjoying at least one activity a day that you find pleasure in—followed by meditation, calm breathing, positive reinforcements, and thinking.

Trust me— completing those six daily steps will make a difference in your mental health. Some people may need more such as medication and therapy. If that is the case, please get in touch with the medical professionals in your area. There is nothing to be ashamed of— I attend therapy, and I am on anxiety medication, but I must admit that I was initially not the best at self-care. I just did not have the time with my kids, homeschooling, working on LD, managing our home and appointments.

Now, I make it a point to take some time for myself because not doing so burnt me out entirely. I do not have a big tribe out here in Florida, so there is little to no break time, and both of my children have complex health, behavioral, cognitive, and developmental issues. My youngest is currently the hardest because he is autistic and has ADHD. So, at times, I feel as if I am at a complete loss because I will have one kid crying over something and another one destroying and screaming mean things.

It isn't easy and can break someone without the proper support system and resources. Not to mention, everyone's tolerance of situations is different. What a burnout moment might look like for me might not look the same for the next person and vice versa. However, a burnout moment is a burnout moment either way. So, try your best to take a minute out for yourself, even if it is hiding in the bathroom for just ten minutes like me. Just do not forget about self-care, ladies and gentlemen. We are resilient creatures but still human.

What are some of your self-care routines?