As some of you may know, I have spent the last 2.5 years homeschooling our oldest two children, while also home with our toddler due to Covid. I loved that time with my three kids and it made me respect stay-at-home mothers even more, but it was time this Fall to send our older two back to school! So that meant, I will be spending more time with only one child at home which means maybe I can take care of myself a bit more.
Starting New Habits
One thing, that I have been starting since school began was new habits! I spent so much time the last few years making sure my children got a good education that I forgot to take care of myself. I really found that this summer was affecting my physical and mental health so I vowed to myself to change that. Now, I am a person who can’t make too many changes all at once so I am trying to implement them slowly into my life. Right now, it is really just a trial and error process and seeing what is helping me feel better.
Physical Habits
This is one of the habits I am trying to form. Years ago, Zach and I did a fitness program here in town and we lost a ton of weight. Although I loved the program it was a bit hard on my body as the years went by and we stopped going. That is when I really stopped doing any physical activity, which is when I gained the weight back. I also got pregnant with our third child and now I am realizing it is harder to lose weight as I get older.
We did make an amazing at-home gym in our basement back in December 2020/January 2021 that has weights and a treadmill so I decided I need to use it more now! I have found that since I am not a morning person, I am focusing on getting workouts done when I am done with work for the day which is a mid-afternoon workout.
Some days, Jaxson (3) and our dog Dexter and I go outside for long walks, some days I am doing strength training in the gym or even get on the treadmill for 20 to 30 mins. I am also trying to make sure I am hitting my steps goal of 7,000 steps for the day more often. I have found working at the office in the mornings helps me more than working from home.
Mental Habits
This one has a few different parts for me, I have always been an organized person, but most days my schedule overwhelms me more than I like to admit. I was chatting with Zach over the weekend about blocking out the day and how he wanted to try it out. It made me think, that maybe I should try it as well. I always have a list of things to do, but some days not sure when to complete those tasks. So recently I have started laying out my day the night before, I sit down with my to-do list and the calendar of school/sports activities and plan out my next day. I block out time for everything, even when I am going to work out so that I make sure to get that taken care of. I feel like this one is really helping me be a better mother and person as I am feeling less stressed about my day-to-day tasks. Another thing I have been working on is having a nightly clean-up routine around the house. I make sure the dishes are put into the dishwasher and any papers are signed for the kids’ school, I put the kids’ watches on the charger, and anything else that might make our mornings run a bit smoother!
When the kids were in school back in 2019/2020 I remember we were always running out the door late and frazzled. Some days, the kids didn’t go to school in the best moods because we were all stressed, the last couple of weeks have been so good and smooth because things are ready from the night before!
Emotional Habits
This one I am still really trying to figure out what the best habits for me are. I am a person who overthinks everything so I usually hate silence. I am a bit nervous to be alone in my thoughts, but I am learning that music has been really helpful for me to understand my feelings and how to cope better with them. Something else I am working on as well is limiting my social media consumption, which is a bit hard when you work in Social Media!! I love the connection that social media brings, I mean I have cousins that I am friends with on Facebook, that I am not even sure I have met in person, and it is fun to watch their lives when I wouldn’t be able to do that without Facebook. But, it does feed into a lot of my insecurities as a mother, wife, and person in general. I know in my head that most people put the highlight reels out on social, but when you are scrolling through you really forget that and think that everyone really has their sh** together. It can really mess with someone’s head so I need to learn to take a break and use other measures to cope with my anxiety, depression, or overstimulation.
I have been trying to read more, which I am sure my mother, the former librarian, would be very proud and I have been enjoying it. I hope to continue it, just need to make sure I have really good books to read, luckily Tyler, our graphic designer, is our go-to book connoisseur so I am sure she will be able to help me find some great ones!
While I am hoping that building new habits will help me be the best version of myself for myself and my family, I know it will take some time! I’m curious though, do you have any daily habits that have had a big impact on your life?