#FitFriday on Saturday…or Sunday- Taking Care of Me!

Friday was one of those days…I was irritable (moody, if you will), exhausted physically & mentally, overwhelmed after being gone all night before with the #NorthIowaBloggers (more on that later), overwhelmed by a lot of things at work, and just “down” in general.

Then, I realized that I didn’t have my #FitFriday post written.  I knew what I wanted to write about, but didn’t have the time this week to write it.  I started to feel even more down.  I felt like I was failing.  Failing at balancing everything that I do.  What do I “do”?  On a daily and weekly basis I am a wife, step-mom, friend, daughter, City Clerk, Jamberry Nails consultant, Facebook marketer for a small business, volunteer for my local chamber, and blogger.  Yes, I get myself into all of these things (well, being a daughter wasn’t really my doing, but it’s a good things, so I’ll go with it), but I love them all.  I love all of the things that I do, which is why I do them.  But, this week…everything has caught up with me.  I am struggling to find the balance in everything and make everyone around me happy as well as myself.

This brings us to #FitFriday on Saturday….or Sunday.  I actually started writing this blog post on Friday night while sitting watching TV with T and then….it all hit me like a brick wall.  I was Exhausted (and yes, that really didn’t mean to have a capital E)!  Even blogging, which I love, seemed like too much work and started causing me anxiety.  So, I put my phone down, I put my iPad down and I just watched TV…I zoned out, had a brownie with milk, and went to bed.  Saturday brought brunch with the boys, my mom & L, along with my aunt & uncle.  Then the boys headed with Granny & L for a day out of town while T & I headed to do more construction with my dad and brother.  (You can read more about those adventures HERE).  When we got home I watched my Cyclones (lose miserably, I might add), got groceries, and made an easy supper of frozen foods for T & I.  I had all intentions of finishing this blog post, but T & I ended up watching a movie and that’s what I did.  I just watched, laughed, and was in the moment.  Typically when we’re watching TV or a movie, I’m always doing something else.  I’m working on Facebook marketing, or I’m catching up on social media from the day, or blogging.  This weekend, I decided I’m not doing three things at once.  I’m going to focus on a task at hand and then relax.  I’m not going to “double book” myself in my own home.

Taking care of ourselves as mothers and wives is hard.  We have a tendency to put everyone else first and at times, that is necessary and right.  But…we have to learn to take care of ourselves too.  This can be in the form of what we eat (eating balanced healthy proportions so we feel good), getting exercise, taking “me” time…even if it’s for just 20 minutes.  Whatever it may be that you are lacking, you have to learn to read your bodies signs and then be committed to listening to them.  For me, my signs are usually one of two things: either so moody and crabby that I snap at the drop of a hat OR so moody that I cry at the drop of a hat.  When I feel this way inside for more than an hour or two at a a time, I know it’s time to take a step back and give myself a break and some time to decompress!  I don’t have to be a super hero.  Fitness is not only a physical aspect of our lives, but also a mental.  We have to take of our bodies and self on a whole scale.  If we aren’t mentally healthy and happy what good is a physically healthy body?

I struggle to find the balance.  I don’t want to drop any balls that I have flying in the air, I don’t want to let anyone down.  But, I’ve learned that I have to or I will let everyone and myself down.  I’m still not great at it.  I need to learn to find the balance and self-discipline before I get to the extreme situations, but I’m trying.  I guess that’s all part of Learning As I Go.