I was one of those kids in high school that actually knew what I wanted for my future. I set my sights on that goal and followed that path. I didn't pretend to be something I wasn't, and I'll be honest, it was a little lonely. I didn't really have a group. I flitted between most (not all) of them and could count my close friends on one hand. I rarely got invited to parties, and my dating life was pretty much non-existent. But I knew who I was and it was enough. I found my people when I went to college, and for the first time I felt like I was accepted for who I was. Then I graduated and got a job, and that path I'd always been following took a huge detour through some pretty dense woods, and I got lost. But eventually, I stumbled back onto that path I'd started so many years ago and rediscovered all the things I'd forgotten about myself.

Losing yourself isn't easy. Finding yourself in the aftermath isn't easy. But you owe it to yourself to make the effort.

Happy Monday.

Self-care has become such an important part of my life these days. Mainly, I think, because for nearly a decade I put myself last. I dedicated so much of myself to work and family life that I kind of lost myself in it all. I was operating on auto pilot - work, family, sleep, repeat. There was no time left for me to do the things I enjoy just for myself. I was starving my creative side, which takes up a pretty big part of me, and honestly was too busy to realize just how much of myself I had lost.

When I decided that I was ready to end my career in television news, it felt like a great weight lifted off my shoulders. Cliche, right? But true nonetheless. Then when I actually made the transition to working from home and setting my own hours, I had time to notice all the things I'd been missing. I'm not really sure how long I had been unhappy. I think I had been in 'survival mode' for so long that I didn't recognize unhappiness in myself. But now that I know what to look for, I can head it off at the pass, because I don't ever want to live that way again.

I've opened up to you guys recently about my need to refocus and find a better balance between all the things I have/want to do. What I haven't talked about is the how of it. Here are my top 5 self-care methods for when things start to get overwhelming.

1. Allow myself extra sleep, whether that's going to bed earlier or taking a nap during the day (because let's face it, if you've got a young child, you don't sleep in).

2. Cut back on social media (and sometimes blogging).

3. Escape into a book ... or two or three. I have to be careful with this, though, since I can easily tune out everything in favor of fiction.

4. Have a long, hot soak in the tub...by myself.

5. Go somewhere by myself, even if it's just to the grocery store.

What do you do to keep yourself at your best?

Happy Monday, friends! Thanks for continuing to be patient with me as I ease back into regular blogging in a way that doesn't feel forced or obligatory. I've been surprised over the last two months or so at how little I've missed it, which speaks to just how caught up in the culture of 'I have to post every day!' I had gotten. I think I've successfully broken that habit, but now I've got rebuild a healthy blogging relationship.

It's always kind of a weird thing to find myself in a slump. I usually realize it after I've been in it for awhile. Whether that's me subconsciously ignoring the signs or just being too busy to notice them, I couldn't tell you, but I'd like to think I'm getting better these days at taking breaks and making my mental health a priority.

On the plus side, we're almost finished painting our house and will be moving on to the floors soon (although I can't say I'm looking forward to the physicality of that part), and the magazine has officially entered its second year so I'm no longer having to build each issue from scratch. With Alexis having a set schedule for school, I'm able to set a more firm schedule for myself when it comes to work, and while it's still not very comparable to a desk job, having a range of hours dedicated just to the magazine every day is definitely helping me set clearer boundaries with my time.

To anyone going through a similar season of life, I hope you know that things will get better and remember that it's not selfish to cut back on things (or people) that unnecessarily drain you. Your time to bloom will come back around.