Are you taking care of yourself?
It’s the last blog post of September–and… we made it! This month brought a LOT for me–it started with an amazing trip (not a vacation, since I went with my kids 😂), where we went on amazing hikes at Zion National Park, visited friends in Las Vegas and then I flew home to enjoy an inspiring day at the US Open, watching Coco Gauff beat Madison Keys on her way to winning her first major. A dear friend’s father passed away, and paying tribute to his incredible life and legacy was somber and a good reminder of what really matters. My children all bravely walked into their new schools–only the second school any of them had ever gone to in their lives! I had a whirlwind quick weekend trip abroad to see my brother get married… and all this happened in the first ten days of the month.
No wonder it feels like it alot–it has been a lot! No matter what the first ten days of your September looked like, ‘tis the season: first day of school, sports team tryouts, college admissions essays, training up new staff, hiring for last minute vacancies, navigating yet another covid wave it seems… and yet, here we are. We are almost at October. There were days in September that were in the high 80s here in New York, fully humid and that summer-kind-of-gross, where I wondered if fall weather would ever come–and slowly, the boots and sweaters are making their way closer to the pile of clothes that get worn all the time.
In the midst of it all: how do we keep it all together? On my quick trip to my brother’s wedding, when the flight attendants were giving their spiel about putting your oxygen mask on before assisting others, it reminded me yet again of what an important practice that was in life. What nourishes me? What feeds me? How am I taking care of myself so that, when my kids get home for school more emotional than usual, I am able to be present for them? How am I making time to be Beth–not just mom and business owner and sister and daughter?
My first ten days of September squeezed in a lot of life–and some stretches are like that. I knew that in order to keep my oxygen flowing, I would need to take time to meditate (way harder when away with the kids), and read something that was totally pleasurable. Normally, exercise is an important part of the routine, but realistically with all that travel and balancing schedules, it would have added more stress than it relieved. That’s okay: this too shall pass–and I got back on the bike on the 11th day of September. As life normalized, I made time for that, and gradually integrated more of my self-care (time with friends, on the phone or in real life) into my day to day.
I find my self-care calendar helps, only because having it by my nightstand forces me to ask myself each day: what did I do today to meet my needs? The flight attendants reminded me that we have to take care of ourselves before we take care of others. If it’s useful, download my self-care calendar, and take what works from it for you. If you know someone who could use it, send them this blog. Regardless, I hope you’ve been taking care of yourself this month, and continue to do so as we go through fall!