It’s Okay to Slow Down and Just Be
Sharing why now more than ever it’s okay to slow down and just be, and how I’m forcing myself to do the same right now.
It’s Okay to Slow Down and Just Be
Hey friends! Today I want to share something that’s been weighing heavy on my heart for a few days now in the hopes that it might help any of you that are feeling the same way.
This situation that we’re in right now is such an uncharted territory and with so many unknowns I’m not even going to pretend like it isn’t stressful trying to deal with everything. Emotionally, mentally, and physically it’s all draining, and I honestly applaud all those out there who keep rolling with the punches.
This week was the hardest for me mentally. I think I’ve been coping with all of this relatively well up until now because I’ve been keeping busy and just doing ALL the things to keep my mind off of the situation at hand, but alas it all hit me earlier this week like a ton of bricks, and it hit HARD.
From having moments of serious agitation over every little thing, to crying in frustration, I’ve been the definition of a hot mess express this week.
You see, I thought by keeping busy through this stressful time that I was doing myself a huge favor, but really I’ve just been burning myself out. And that’s no way to be.
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I keep seeing so many posts shared on social media about taking advantage of this new situation of having extra time on your hand, and how now is the time to accomplish all those things you’ve been wanting to, but sometimes what we all really need is to SLOW DOWN and JUST BE.
Not to train for a marathon or drive yourself silly trying to accomplish 280,000 to-do list items. Not to burn yourself out trying to keep up with people on social media. But instead to give yourself grace and the freedom to slow down and just be.
It’s okay if you want to stay busy and if there’s things you want to accomplish on that to-do list, that’s absolutely fine. I’m not saying I’ll be sitting around twiddling my thumbs through all of this because that’s not simply my personality.
But if a movie night or Netflix series marathon with homemade chocolate chip cookies is what you need, then do it. If you need to take a bubble bath daily and give yourself a spa day at home for sanity purposes, then do it.
Let’s all stop being so hard on ourselves and re-focus our attention on the things that truly matter. To remember to give yourself the grace to take breaks, to slow down, and stop worrying so much about these unrealistic expectations we sometimes give ourselves.
I’ve been having an absolute blast spending more time with my boys and doing things we haven’t had the time to do in forever. We sat on our back patio yesterday evening just sitting and talking, and it was so nice and peaceful.
When I look at them, I’m seriously so proud to be their Mom because they’ve been total rock stars through all of this.
It isn’t easy having your world turned upside down over night, but to them it’s been fun staying at home and being able to spend more uninterrupted time with us. They’re naturally ingrained to look at the positives of this situation and it’s a refreshing reminder for me to do the same.
When I look back on this whole situation I know I’m not going to remember all the items I marked off my to-do list, but instead I’ll remember the sweet memories me and my husband made with our boys during this time.
How it brought us all closer together and made us realize that each other is all we really need.
Maybe this isn’t what any of us wanted, but maybe just maybe this is our chance to strengthen the relationships with the ones we love and to find the beauty in the ordinary. That is my wish for each and every one of you.
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Thanks for stopping by – Cara
I am glad that we got to come down before all of this mess going on. I have learned to relax and take it easy and spend more time with your Mommy and what brings me so much joy is to be with you and your 2 brothers and the little buddies. We hope to get together with you guys again soon. Love you and your family so much. Daddy
We will all see each other soon. Love you all too!
I dont know what it is about this week, but it has been rough for me too and several of my friends that I have talked to. I think at first everything was so new and such a shock…and now we have had time to settle into this new normal and realize how far of an impact this is forever going to have on our lives. I have been balancing trying to do all the things while I am home…and taking time to just be and read or do what I want. I am having a hard time balancing working from home full time with a toddler, that is for sure! I
It’s definitely a hard balancing act, but I’m glad to hear you guys are doing okay! This past week was much better for us thankfully- I think we all just have to take it a day at a time.
I needed this post so much! Like you, I had a rough week. You would think that after four weeks I’d be feeling okay, but it just all hit me weird this week and it has been hard to get back on track. You’re right that we all need to give ourselves some grace and focus on what really matters right now. I’ve also found it helpful to stay off social media as much as possible (I don’t think I’ve posted since the end of February, ha!) because some people are using this as another opportunity to post about their “perfect” lives/everything they’re accomplishing and that leaves too much room for comparison. It’s okay to do what you need to do to get by, even if that means sleeping in or cleaning the house from top to bottom! Sending you guys lots of love – stay healthy and safe!
Karly
https://www.whatkarlysaid.com
Sorry to hear this week hit you hard too- it seems like everyone’s been struggling a little lately. I guess it’s hard to come to the realization that this is officially the new “norm”. And I totally agree that staying off social media helps a ton. I pretty much had to stop watching the news and haven’t logged onto certain platforms in awhile because it was just too much. Sending love and prayers your way too – hope you all have a nice weekend!