One of the busiest seasons of my life was during my last semester of college. I was finishing school, my student teaching, working, and dating my husband at the time. I stopped working out because I did not have the time and I ate out a lot in order to spend time with my boyfriend. I stayed up late socializing and spent long hours in the library writing papers. I also cried a lot and stopped taking care of myself. On top of all that I gained about twenty pounds getting to my heaviest weight of my life.
All of those things I once did to take care of myself slowly slipped away. Though that season of life was hard, I am thankful for it and that I am able to learn from what a life of busyness did to me.
I often share about my desire for simple living much caused by this season of my life. As women it is so easy to put ourselves and our needs on the back burner for others or in order to get other tasks taken care of.
When I start feeling like life gets out of control it is usually time for me to reevaluate how my time is being spent, what commitments I have that could possibly be changed, and how I can slow down to make sure I am taking care of my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
As summer has come to an end and I gear up for fall, thoughts of the holidays, lots of food, and getting holiday gifts purchased start heading me on the road to anxiety. In order to make sure my needs are in check I am setting some goals to keep sane this time of year.
Through the rest of this month I will be finishing up any big home decor projects I am working on but plan on putting whatever is undone on hold come October. The house gets decorated for the holiday season and the calendar usually gets more full. By having my house in order and simplified there is less chaos in the home to make room for the holiday bussyness.
Over the summer I mixed up my exercise routine but come the fall I try to be more consistent and diligent about getting in a regular workout routine. Also since it will be cooling down, I will start incorporating healthy soups into my meals that are filling, hearty, and low calorie.
I also like to prepare for the change in weather. I love being able to take out our winter comforter and blankets for the couch as well as put out smelly candles that put me in the winter mood. I try to prepare my skin and beauty routine for how it reacts with the change of weather as well. Lots of moisturizer and conditioning keep me from feeling dried out.
After this hot summer my hair has been very dry from sun exposure, chlorine, and hot temperatures. Recently, in order to provide nourishment to repair my dry and rough hair, I have been using Dove Intensive Repair Daily Treatment Conditioner. The Fiber Active technology penetrates deep inside the hair strand, helping rebind damaged proteins while the Patented Micromoisture Serum targets damage, repairing the surface of hair by sealing lifted cuticles.
At the end of a long day, using this conditioner with it's thick, rich formula, makes me feel pampered during a hot shower. Not only is it soft and luxurious but it smells fabulous. Because sometimes even a nice long shower is just the pampering I need when the rest of life feels a bit chaotic.
As you transition into the fall, how do you make time to take care of yourself?
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And what better way to take care of yourself then with a little pampering!!
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