Fun Self-Care, Self-Love, and What the Hell is Going On?!?

Gandalf, My Hero

I'm still here. I know it's been a while since I posted. We've had a busy season of life lately. My older daughter graduated from high school. It's hard for me to grasp that fact. She's been homeschooled throughout her entire educational career, so while I'm excited for her, there is also a part of me that grieves a little for the loss of that era. It is certainly an adjustment. In addition to this, my younger daughter moved up from fifth grade and is now in middle school. My son will be a junior, so we have only two years left to do school together. Lots of letting go around here! To add to this bit of emotional unrest, I am also in the throes of perimenopause, which let me just bluntly say is hell. Plus, finally, as most of my readers know, I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder two years ago. I'll tell you right here and right now that this past May was likely one of the most stressful months I've ever had in my life. I was glad to switch my calendar to June today. I'm saying it now. I'm speaking it into existence. I'm willing it. June will be a GOOD month. There may  will be stressors. I will lose my crap sometimes. My husband and my kids will lose their crap sometimes. My house will be messy. My laundry will be clean, but it might be stacked somewhere outside closets and drawers. I do NOT care. I'm just trying to survive. It's summer in the south and it is HOT. And HUMID. My sweet daughter with special needs is home all day for the entire summer. I love her, but it is quite challenging to care for her due to the nature of her needs. Then, there's the perimenopause beast. When I go three months without a period and then, suddenly, BOOM!!! Guess who? And it's like a murder scene in the bathroom. What the hell?!? I wasn't prepared for this. And the cramps, oh, they are back - back with a vengeance! It's like I'm giving birth to that alien in the infamous Alien scene. Then there's the crying. Then I'm laughing. Then I'm furious. Then I'm crying again. All of this is affecting my depression, which is to be expected. I am working hard to practice my healthy coping skills, but sometimes I fall into unhealthy coping mechanisms. When I'm overwhelmed, it's just so easy to do things that feel good at the moment but aren't healthy in the long run; I admit to doing this a few times over the past month. I've been making a conscious effort to practice healthy self-care and self-love lately. In spite of that, I am still struggling with stress. Yes, I'm still seeing my psychiatrist. Yes, I'm still taking my antidepressants. But, I still parent a child with significant special needs. And I have a husband who works a lot of the time. Oh, and I have lavender essential oil and CBD oil and even rose quartz. I even have lavender soap and lavender fabric softener and lavender dryer sheets and I burn lavender incense. My entire house is made out of lavender. My daughter has medication for her anxiety. She sees a neurologist every few months. So, trust me, we're all medicated as prescribed and oiled and mineraled and scented here, too. We get plenty of time outdoors as well as lots of exercise. My stress level is still high. No amount of any of these things will make it go away. They just help me to manage it better. Here are some of the things I do for fun. In my next post, I'm going to talk about what's known as "boring" self-care.

Being creative helps me by taking my mind off the stress for a while. I made this suncatcher. I also like to color, sketch, paint, and write.

Sometimes I spend a day alone. It is fabulous. I eat lunch at my favorite restaurant, go shopping, go to the bookstore, take a walk in nature, or do whatever I feel like. It's MY day! This is my ultimate act of self-love.

I take an (almost) daily morning walk. I am surrounded by lovely trees, flowers, birds, squirrels, and so many other beautiful sights. I get exercise while soaking in some sunshine, too. This is a great way to practice self-care. 

I go on date nights with this sexy guy! We laugh, we eat, we shop, we go to Walmart (inside joke.) Then we...well, none of your business!

I light candles, burn incense, meditate, go barefoot in the grass. 

I love being outside at night. We light the citronella candle and sit near the citronella plant to (hopefully) keep the mosquitoes away. Some nights I drink a mug of chamomile tea. 

And here I am with my rescue baby: Gandalf. I'm not sure who actually rescued whom. Look at his sweet face. He is my heart. He jumps up and "hugs" me. When we sit in the chair together, he has to wrap his legs around mine.

Five Fun Fridays: Week Five (My Secrets)

It's hard to believe we've reached the final Friday of this series, yet here we are! I hope you've had as much fun as I have. This week I promised to dish out some of my secrets. So, without further hesitation, here we go.

1 What time did you get up this morning? I woke up around 7:30 this morning.

2. What is your favorite wine? White - Pinot Grigio; Red - Cabernet Sauvignon

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Guardians of the Galaxy 2

4. What is your favorite TV show? The Walking Dead, The Office, Forensic Files, Once Upon A Time, Impractical Jokers

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Washington State

6. What did you have for breakfast today? Smoothie (ketogenic and vegan)

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Mexican

8. What foods do you dislike? Beets

9. Favorite Place to Eat? Local favorites, not the standard chain restaurants

10. Favorite salad dressing? Homemade dairy free ranch

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Dodge Caravan (And, yes, I rock that minivan!)

12. What are your favorite clothes? Yoga pants

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Ireland

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 empty

15. Where would you want to retire? Washington State

16. Favorite time of day? Mid-morning

17. Where were you born? Jackson, MS

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Football.

22. Bird watcher? Yes. Watching birds is peaceful and calming for me.

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Neither. I don't like waking up too early, and I don't enjoy staying up too late. I like mid-mornings, so I suppose you could call me a mid-morning person.

24. Do you have any pets? Yes, one dog.

25. Do you have any children? Yes, four.

26. What did you want to be when you were little? A singer. (Sadly, my voice had other plans.)

27. What is your best childhood memory? Playing with my younger sister, Christmas, church

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Dog, but cats are cool, too.

29. Are you married? Yes. This December will make 20 years. ❤️

30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes.

31. Secret talent? Yes. I can recite the alphabet backwards.

32. Any pet peeves? Arrogance, racism, sexism, basically people who think they're better than other people, unsolicited advice, platitudes

33. Favorite Pizza Topping? spinach, mushrooms, black olives

34. Favorite Flower? Roses, because I always hope to get some on Valentine's Day.

35. Favorite song? "Thunder Road" by Bruce Springsteen

36. Favorite movie? Grease

37. Celebrity Crush? Jason Momoa, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Henry Cavill, Adam Levine

38. From whom did you get your last email? Etsy

39. Which store would you choose to max out your card? Ulta

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Yes, every day. I'm keeping some secrets, though, so I'm not answering this one any further.

41. Like your job? Usually.

42. Broccoli? Yes, especially sauteed in coconut oil and seasoned with garlic, pink sea salt, and pepper.

43. What was your favorite vacation? Hawaii

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? My family.

45. What are you listening to right now? The Twilight Movie Soundtrack

46. What is your favorite color? Green

47. How many tattoos do you have? Five

48. How many piercings? Three: both ears, daith

49. Favorite book? To Kill A Mockingbird

50. Coffee drinker? Decaf

So, there you have it! Those are some of my hidden secrets. Is there anything else you'd like to know? Just ask in the comments. I'd also love to see your answers to these questions. Let me know if you decide to do a "Top Secret" post on your blog. Now, on to the final week of the giveaway. It will end one week from today - on Friday, August 4. Want to see what's included in this giveaway? Head on over to the other posts in this series and check out all the wonderful items that are included. For your chance to win, do one or any combination of the following:

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