After I had my first child, I couldn’t wait to take my son out with me to run errands. I was so eager to join the other elite mothers who appeared to have it all together. They would run their errands with 1 child on their hip and 2 others in tow. Dropping them off at school or playdates while they ran their “To Do” list through their head, conjuring up the Pinterest perfect birthday party. A simple “How Are You?” would elicit a “Busy, You?”

The word humblebrag comes to mind as busyness turned into a competition. Between childcare, managing a household and working outside of the house, women have thrown themselves on this treadmill to prove their worthiness and value. The perception is that the busier you are the more money and status you have.

Early this year, life came to a screeching halt because of Covid-19. Families had to quickly reshuffle their lives to accommodate for childcare (or lack thereof), working from home, schooling from home, even shopping for groceries seemed unsurmountable. Some households had found themselves with a lot of extra time on their hands, many did not.

Busyness didn’t go away in my house. I lost 20 hours working outside the home, but gained them back, plus more with 5 of us now home full-time. I found plenty of projects to keep me busy, and even landed in the emergency room with a muscle tear in my stomach from physically overworking. I was hell-bent on getting these projects done. Why? I’m still not sure if it’s my own inner demons, or trying to attain that elusive status symbol.

What I know for sure is that I need to take a step back and practice what I preach…self-care is a necessity, not a luxury! Self-care doesn’t always mean massages, mani/pedi’s, or a spa day. It can be small moments of time to breathe deeply, have a cup of tea, read a book, or a quick chat or Zoom with your girlfriend.

Letting your body know that you care about her will help you attune to your own needs and give you that flow that will get you through your day with a better mindset and loving attitude.

Developing this loving attitude towards yourself is one of the reasons why I created “The Self-Care Lounge”, an online community for women to help you take those moments of deliberate self-care. You can find out more here, and make sure you sign up so you can be the first to know when the doors open!

May you have a refreshing day of flow and ease!