forcing mindfulness and light (90/100)

I’m having one of those weeks where I’m forcing self-care: I’m telling myself, “okay, you have to go move. Moving is how you process through stress.” And “drink another glass of water.” And “nah, you should probably skip the glass of wine — you don’t want it to celebrate, you want it to take the edge off. Have a cup of tea instead.” And “Go to bed now — you need to get your 8 hours.” And “Karen, do you really need that piece of chocolate?”

(Confession: the answer to the last one has been yes. I really needed that piece of chocolate.)

For the most part, I’ve been taking good care of myself, which is good, because we’re in a season of stress in our house. But I’m happy that at least at the end of the day, I can say that I took care of myself, even when my instincts have been to numb with chocolate, wine and inertia. Sometimes it takes work to look for the light, even if it’s just in the form of grocery store mums, but it’s times like this that it’s even more important.

All this to say that if you’re having a stressful time, don’t forget to look for the light. And move. And hydrate. And have calming cups of tea.

And, what the hell — the piece of chocolate. I’m not a monster.

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