Coming out of Covid

Who am I? What’s my name? What year is it? (insert dramatic eye rub)

Anyone feel me on this?

Doesn’t it feel like we’re climbing out of a dark hole, rubbing our eyes and wondering what the heck we do in our lives anymore?

If you’re like me, you’re feeling like how you defined yourself has been upended in the past year. Even my definition of being a mother has changed in the last year. Never mind keeping everyone’s schedules, tuning into everyone’s emotional needs…. let’s add teaching into our resume now!

Oooof. Thank God remote learning is over, THAT was a doozy for us. (Insert sarcasm) I truly loved emptying the dishwasher, shouting out “did you flush and wash?” only to be followed up by “turn your camera on and sit up straight - please stop asking your teacher when your next break is!”.

We deserve medals, mamas.

When my kids were younger and I was first building Be PowerFULL, I remember struggling BIG TIME on work/life balance. I wanted to be working all the time. I took myself seriously, maybe too seriously at times, and I struggled to show myself the grace and compassion to rest. I identified almost completely by my work. I had unrealistic expectations for myself and I always fell short.

Now, I didn’t exactly love watching the local gym I’ve built completely fall apart over Covid but it’s been the best forced “reset” for me.

I can truly say that one of the biggest gifts I’ve given myself in the past year is to learn how to truly rest. To stop the hustle. to give myself the grace to sit on the couch for the full 2.5 hours the kids went to school, if I needed.

Coming out of Covid, here’s what I’m NOT going to do: I’m not going to hustle for my worthiness.

I’m going to remember that walks with my puppy, quiet moments on the couch with a book and mobility workouts where I don’t lift heavy…these things that deserve a daily place in my life. I can work hard AND honor my need for downtime.

Of course, there’s a middle. I always talk about the middle. While I may have given myself the permission to not take on too much and rest during the slow down of Covid, I also have incredible clarity and big goals for my business. So, I’m working on negotiating with myself about just how much time I’m going to spin into my new projects. Let’s be real, kids just started full time school but the school year is almost over. What a tease, right?!

I’m not delusional to think I can keep it completely balanced all the time. There will always periods where work projects take the front seat and the house might not stay in order or we may not be eating like Kings and Queens like we did during quarantine.

But I do know that I’ve rested up and I’m ready to work.

I’m just not jumping to busy myself up FULLY again.

There’s a lot of personal power to be found in saying “it’s ok” and accepting rest. You may not know what it will refuel you for later.