Note 028
I’ve been watching quite a few YouTube videos lately about women trying to get their lives back in order.
And the stories are different.
Some had babies.
Some went through divorce.
Some lost their jobs.
Some experienced the death of someone they loved.
Some went through a difficult season and, somewhere along the way, simply lost themselves.
And I understand how that happens.
Life can hand you a few things at once and before you know it, you’re not doing the things you used to do.
The house isn’t as clean.
You’re not cooking.
You’re not getting dressed.
You’re not exercising.
You’re staying up too late.
You’re sleeping too late.
You’re scrolling.
You’re isolating.
And eventually you look around and think…
“How did I get here?”
Well, here’s my first note:
Give Yourself Some Grace.
You didn’t fall into that slump in one day.
So please don’t expect yourself to climb out of it overnight.
Give yourself time.
Give yourself grace.
And then…
Start small.
You don’t need a complete life transformation by Monday.
You need a few little wins.
Here are some things I’ve found helpful—or simply think are worth trying when you’re ready to start finding your way back to yourself.
📝 Clean Something
Start with one room.
One closet.
One drawer.
One bathroom.
Open the windows.
Open the curtains.
Let some sunlight in.
There is something about cleaning your physical environment that can make your mind feel a little lighter too.
And if you’re anything like me, once you clean one thing, suddenly you’re looking at the rest of the house like…
“Well, now I have to finish this.”
There goes the overthinking.
But that’s okay.
One thing at a time.
📝 Take Yourself Outside
Go for a walk.
Walk around the park.
Walk around the mall.
Go somewhere you’ve never been.
People watch.
Window shop.
Sit outside with a cup of coffee.
You don’t necessarily have to spend money or have somewhere important to go.
Sometimes you just need to get out of the house and see something besides the same four walls.
📝 Limit the Screen Time
This one may hurt a little.
But sometimes the thing we’re using to escape is keeping us stuck.
Put the phone down.
Turn off the television.
Take a break from scrolling.
You don’t need to know what everyone else is doing while you’re trying to figure out what you’re doing.
📝 Use What You Have
You don’t need a brand-new life to start creating a better one.
Look in your pantry.
Make something different with the food you already have.
Try a new recipe.
Reduce your portions if that’s one of your goals.
Meal prep.
Get creative.
You don’t need a refrigerator full of expensive “wellness” foods to start taking better care of yourself.
Use what you have.
📝 Move Your Body
You don’t need a gym membership.
Move your living room furniture if you need some space.
Put on YouTube.
Find a beginner workout.
Walk around your neighborhood.
Stretch.
Dance.
And yes…
Those old leggings and T-shirts you’ve been saving?
Congratulations.
They’ve officially been promoted to workout clothes.
You don’t need the matching $150 workout set to move your body.
📝 Read 10 Pages
Ten.
That’s it.
Pick up a nonfiction book and read ten pages a day.
Not fifty.
Not an entire chapter.
Ten pages.
Ten pages a day adds up.
And eventually you’ll look back and realize you’ve finished books you once thought you didn’t have time to read.
📝 Go to Bed Earlier
If you can, start creating a bedtime routine.
Turn the television off.
Put the phone down.
Get in bed a little earlier.
And if your schedule allows, try waking up a little earlier too.
Sometimes getting your days back in order starts with getting your nights back in order.
📝 Get Dressed
And this one might be my favorite.
Get dressed.
Not because you’re going somewhere.
Not because somebody is coming over.
Not because you have an event.
Because you deserve to feel like yourself again.
Put on the dress.
Put on the lipstick.
Do your hair.
Put on the earrings.
Do your nails.
Whatever makes you feel good.
You don’t need a reason.
📝 Laugh
Watch something funny.
Call someone who makes you laugh.
Play music.
Dance in your kitchen.
Watch an old favorite show.
Sometimes we take rebuilding our lives so seriously that we forget we’re allowed to enjoy ourselves along the way.
📝 And Please…Stop Comparing
This one is important.
You don’t know what someone else’s life really looks like.
You don’t know their circumstances.
You don’t know their finances.
You don’t know their struggles.
You don’t know what happens when the camera turns off.
Your timeline is yours.
Your rebuilding is yours.
Your starting point is yours.
And there is absolutely no prize for getting your life together faster than somebody else.
So if you’re currently in a season where you’re trying to find your way back to yourself…
Start small.
Clean something.
Open a window.
Take a walk.
Read ten pages.
Drink some water.
Make yourself something good to eat.
Put on the dress.
Laugh.
Go to bed.
Wake up.
Try again.
And then do it again tomorrow.
You don’t have to become a completely different woman.
Maybe you’re simply trying to find your way back to you.
And honey…
That’s worth taking your time with.
A Note for Today
You don’t have to fix your whole life today. Just do one small thing that makes tomorrow a little better.
A Little Something to Think About…
What’s one small thing you’ve been putting off that you could do today—not to change your entire life, but simply to remind yourself that you’re capable of moving forward?
Start there.
Until the next note,
Your Resident Overthinker