This has been a challenging week. Jones has been in the middle of quarter finals. Shoo has had a rough week with his soccer team and then one of his past teachers passed away suddenly. And, well, I can’t even talk about the other things ’cause you’d find me hiding a corner somewhere…
But it’s Friday and we have some nice plans this weekend and I did a lot of “self care” this week. Yep, I did everything I could to keep myself in a happy place. It even sort of worked.
- Get active. Run. Then run some more. Ok, maybe do some yoga and a little meditation too. All of these will calm your mind and help you cope.
- Give back. Volunteer. Donate. Do random acts of kindness. Combine a couple and donate to a friend’s favorite cause. Then write them a note telling them how much they mean to you and why you donated on their behalf. It’s a double win because you not only show a friend you care, but you also help a worthy organization.
- Get involved. There are so many different ways: march, write letters, make phone calls… Heck, run for office. Do your part to make the world the place you want it to be.
- Do fun things. Or comforting things. Or find the humor in the world around you. Surround yourself with people who care about you.
- Cut yourself some slack. While I can’t advocate curling up in a corner and sucking your thumb, I do believe it’s ok to have sad moments. And to let yourself be in those moments instead of feeling guilty for having them. It’s ok to be a bit self indulgent for a time, but set yourself a time limit to get back up and going. (And if you can’t seem to get back up, please get help to do so.)
And just because we all need a little humor in our lives, here are a couple of runfessions for January.
- On Wednesday, I ran twice. In the same outfit.
- Once this month, I had to take advantage of my almost expired gym membership. Not to work out (ahem). I’ve never been so grateful for that little card attached to my keys.
- I created a lovely training plan on Monday of this week. I’ve already gone rogue.
- I’m already eyeing the new patterns from Skirt Sports and counting down the days until I can buy them. No, I don’t know an actual release date. I just have an obsession.
I’m linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday 2.0 and Marcia’s Healthy Slice for Runfessions.
All great tips & I’ve been having some stressful times, too.
I wish I could run in the same outfit twice . . . I sweat too much!
I hope things get better, Erika.
Judy @ Chocolaterunsjudy recently posted…Laughter is good for the soul: Runfessions January 2017
It’s cold enough that I sometimes don’t sweat much if I dress right…
I confess that I am also anxiously awaiting the new patterns. I feel like I wear the same things all the time. Tough problems to have!
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner recently posted…Runfessions January Edition
I’ve been wearing a ton of the Lotta Breeze lately and I don’t have many of those…
So sorry about your stressful week. On the other issues, I am trying to figure out a balance between fretting over everything and hiding my head in the sand. I’m pouting because I’m off for a stressful business trip when I those strategies won’t be able to implement my usual self-care strategies.
Coco recently posted…New Exercises To Challenge And Strengthen Your Core
I’m struggling with the balance as well. And trying to figure out what actually is worth doing.
This week has been pretty rough here too. Thanks for the tips, I needed them right about now.
Hope they help!
It seems everybody has been off this week/month/YEAR. Myself included. This too shall pass (eventually) right? Kudos for a double run, who cares what you wore twice? Ha!
Marcia recently posted…January Runfessions
One can only hope it passes and we all survive…
I LOVE skirt sports! Wish I had an unlimited budget ! Also I have been known to swipe my gym card more than once a month for not going . Ssssh… don’t tell anyone ! Lol
Gina recently posted…5 Reasons YOU Should Be a Morning Runner
I have so many skirts. It’s kind of ridiculous.
If I have those moments, the shower seems a good place to cry. Even though there’s no one to see my cry in my apartment, the shower is always a place to cry it out. I can get clean while I get it out of my system.
I admit I’ve been taking longer showers than usual lately. They are so soothing.
I’m sorry you had a stressful week, but it sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders! I hope you can enjoy the weekend!
Thanks. I had a nice weekend.
Hahaha. Oh man, thank goodness for gym memberships! Yikes.
I like to zone up with mindless TV when I’m feeling especially stressed.
Ange // Cowgirl Runs recently posted…‘Bye January! My Recap of January Goals
Totally saved me. Totally.
ALL great tips! I especially like the one about allowing yourself to be sad…I think trying to ignore the pain/suffering/disappointments only magnifies the despair. Having feelings is what makes us human, trying to hide them takes a lot more effort (and creates a lot more stress) than just allowing those feeling to “be.”
Kimberly Hatting recently posted…Time to Runfess…
Yes, pretending it’s all fine is not a good coping mechanism.
Stress sure can take a toll on people. Running is one of my go to’s to destress. Great tips!
Anna @ Pipers Run recently posted…January Runfessions
Stress is just flat out exhausting.
“I created a lovely training plan on Monday of this week. I’ve already gone rogue.”
This is funny! Lol. Howw???
And I totally took a day for myself today. It was lovely. 🙂 Good tips!
Rachel recently posted…When Motivation is Lacking, Training is Tough
I’m apparently running whatever distance makes me happy and at whatever pace. Luckily sometimes it’s too long and too fast, so I’m at least training hard a few days a week.
Cutting yourself some slack is so important! I’m glad you took some time for yourself. Enjoy your weekend.
It was a lovely weekend. It was a nice break from reality.
I have had a few days where I wanted to curl up in a corner this week too! I often have to remind myself, just keep swimming. Being out with an injury is not helping my depression…that is one of the things I miss most about running…escape and mind clearing. Love the idea of a random act of kindness!
Ugh, injury is the worst when life is stressful. So hard to get the necessary endorphins.
I’m glad that you are taking care of yourself amidst the craziness and business (and sadness) life can throw at us.
We so often forget to do fun things! In 2017, I’m trying to be more intentional about saying yes to things, even if they aren’t necessarily productive or “useful.” Fun is definitely of high value in a stressful world.
Diana
http://betterthanalive.com
Diana Fitts recently posted…Should I Run Every Day?
We had a bunch of people over for a beer tasting on Saturday. That was a blast and just what I needed.
Great post, working out definitely helps me destress and I have been doing a lot of that lately. I got to check out the new sports skirts designs.
Toni recently posted…Running, Loving, Living Turns SIX!!!
They have some super cute patterns coming out soon.
I ran yesterday and it took 3 miles to get through the ball of stress in my stomach and then it was back within a couple of hours of running. I can only run so many miles…
Sorry to hear you’ve had such a challenging time lately. How sad that one of your son’s past teachers passed away suddenly.
These are great tips to remember!
Also, loved your runfessions! Hope you have an enjoyable weekend. 🙂
Clarinda recently posted…Friday Five 2.0 – StrideBox Review
Yeah, it was shocking. I’ve never heard the principal cry (and I’ve known her for a lot of years now and through lots of sad/stressful situations.)
I have had a few stressful weeks myself and it does help to just stop and laugh about it all 🙂 Hope you have a good week!
Mary Beth Jackson recently posted…January Runfessions- going commando?
I love a good meme… We had a nice weekend and so far the week is going ok.
Great advice. I’ve definitely felt the stress of the current….situation. I agree that taking a break from the nonsense really helps. And self-care is key! We all gotta hang in there, somehow….
I used to be addicted to Facebook. Now it stresses me out, so I’m spending a lot less time there…
annnnd more needed today than ever.
xo
Carla recently posted…Whats your drishti in the world?
Indeed.
Getting active has been my go-to cooong mechanism during stressful times– from unexpected deaths to work related stress. It has helped tremendously.
Yes, being active helps a lot!