Self-Care + #H54F / My Monochromatic Life

Happy Friday everyone! Woof, this has been a really long week and a Friday is definitely needed. It is finally starting to feel like Spring around here (hallelujah) and I am trying to come out of my Winter funk. Spring cleaning for my spirit, as it were.

Maybe as the season is ~~finally~~ changing it has me thinking about it more, but self-care is really necessary now. If you follow along you have heard me talk more than once about the stresses of my day job and that there is no end in sight. As expected this has continued and even picked up as of late. I have found myself more nights than not pulling out my work computer after Reese has gone to sleep to continue to get things done. That anxious feeling of apprehension to get work done happens any time I am not working. It has not been a great feeling and I have had to really start working on it.

I thought about cutting back on things like blogging, or fun things with friends. Which I have done here and there, but then sometimes I know these are the things that give me a necessary break and reinvigorate me. So I cannot totally give it up. I am sure I am not alone here.

For today's H54F I thought I would share some of my favorite self-care skills. Ready?

1. BAD TV

Make fun of me all you want but I love Bravo TV. I watch almost all the Housewives franchises, Vanderpump Rules, Watch What Happens Live, you name it I probably watch it. It's truly terrible TV if I am being honest. However, I cannot stop watching. Getting involved in their lives and silly dramas for an hour at a time is a very necessary brain break for me. I always describe it as TV that happens "to me." I don't even have to watch that closely so I can do other things while I watch. I just really love it and it makes me happy. What can I say? Like Patrick Henry said, "give me Vanderpump Rules or give me death" Or something like that.....

2. MEDITATION

I do not do this one as often as I should, but on a rough day I will work it into my work day. A couple of minutes really does make a big difference. I am a fan of the Headspace App. If you aren't familiar check it out, the basics are free and super user-friendly. I am a big fan. There is so much research about the benefits of meditation on all of our lives. We basically all need to be doing it,ha!

3. PODCASTS

My ride to and from work are typically pretty short but every time I am in the car alone this is what I am doing. For a while, I was doing political podcasts to soak up all the info, but I needed a break. My go-tos are NPR Fresh Air, ID10T, WTF Podcast. I just learned about Armchair Expert. I like long-form interviews with interesting people and those are my favorite. Just another short escape.

4. TRAVEL

Obviously, this is not an everyday kind of one. Especially after this last vacay I am itching to plan the next one. We kind of spontaneously went to Austin in December with some friends and had a great time.We were asked with only maybe 6 weeks notice and just figured "why not?" We had always wanted go and here was a great opportunity. I also snuck out to Chicago in February to see my cousin. I talking wtih my mom who had been trying to plan a trip for a while and was waiting on some other things, to just make the plan and worry about the rest later. There is always a better time, or you could save more money, blah blah. Life is best when having experiences, I think, and travel is a great one. If you have the luxury in life to travel just do it. No better time than the present. If you truly can't go right away then find a way to save up and make the plan. For us the next stop is Europe!

5. GETTING OUT

Having a baby at home makes this so much harder, yet I do think it is crucially important. Look, I love my baby and leaving her is hard sometimes but I need to be my own person too. Like last night I went to Fashion Week MN's kickoff event #Minnstafashion at the W Minneapolis. I wasn't going to go because it's a Thursday and my friend who usually comes with me couldn't go. At kind of the last minute, I decided to go and had a great time. I met up with some blogger ladies I am building relationships with and had a great time! (More details about this and my look to come). It was great to just get out of the house and just be me again, or the rare occasion D and I get out of the house together without Reese too. I treasure those times too where we just get to be us. It is so refreshing and, honestly, makes me a better mom when I get home.