2020 has been a wild one so far. Anything that was considered normal is anything but. Not a fan of change? Yeah, buck up buttercup 2020 is all about CHANGE.
While I was on medical leave in early 2020, the beginning of Covid-19 was taking over China and moving to other countries. As a person in the financial industry, the stock markets took a hit, nearing recession levels. There was just so much uncertainty but soon enough, the words “Social Distancing” became the new buzz word. 6 feet apart, wash your hands, sanitize all of the things, and wear a face covering. And for the love of everything holy and sacred, staying the f*ck home.
I transitioned to working remotely at home to be socially distant and caring for my almost 4 year old twins. They went to preschool twice a week and my parents the rest of the week. However, my parents are elderly with health concerns. So as much as it pained me (and mostly them), we chose to keep the twins away from them for almost 6 weeks, during that time my husband was also home as he was furloughed. When he went back to work, his schedule changed so he was not able to take the twins to school in the mornings. Instead, I became the Queen of Multi-Tasking, Super Mom, or better yet Super Woman.
Being all of those things is freaking hard. Maintaining the household, increased workload at the day job, still maintaining my skincare business, training a new puppy, caring for the kiddos all while trying to work out and eat healthily. Yikes, when you put it in writing, that’s f*cking CRAZY. I did it because I had to. There was no other choice.
Fast forward to several months into the pandemic, people (including myself) were getting stir crazy. Cities were starting to open back up. Businesses could begin operating again albeit follow all CDC and social distancing guidelines. Some people went off the deep end and cause more spikes in positive cases. I was not one of those peeps. I was feeling the effects of being a “stay at home, work from home, remote working, and journey to wellness” woman. I broke. I need a break.
What does a break look like? Getting the heck out of Dodge. I was craving girl time with some of my close friends who live a few hours away. Was it risky? Probably, but we’re all smart women so face coverings, hand washing, and what not will occur. FaceTiming and phone calls can only go so far. Human interaction is what I needed. So I told my husband that I wanted to do this and he was 100% on board with this.
Here’s the thing - it’s okay to be selfish and honor what you’re needing. Maybe it’s a walk or a workout in, a night of quiet, maybe a bottle of wine and a bubble bath, a nice long drive, or getting out of town. Or all of the above, I’m not judging. There’s nothing wrong with wanting something for YOU. Many of us give and give because that’s part of who we are. It’s healthy to go do something that will recharge your soul and give you a little more go go power to continue on being the badass woman you are.
In fact, it’s not selfish at all. It’s a part of who you are and you are beautiful. So you do you and give yourself the much needed breather you deserve.