Tag Archives: self-care

Snow Day!!!

Leave a reply

I had a good old-fashioned snow day on Sunday.  It was glorious.  I didn’t leave my house.  No errands to the grocery store.  No shoveling (as the snow fell throughout the daylight hours).  Just me and my husband and my cats, all snuggled on the couch together watching movies on TV.

Adulthood can sometimes hit extra hard.  You get in the rut of working five days a week and running around to complete all the chores required of an adult on the other two days.  And it can wear a person down.  Laundry and groceries and filling the car with gas and cleaning the house and paying the bills….it gets to be a lot on top of a 40 hour a week job.  And the older you get, the harder it becomes to balance things.  At least that has been my experience.  I remember in my 30’s and early 40’s having a lot more energy to do “adulthood” tasks after a day of work.  But I just don’t have that energy anymore.  When I get home from work, I’m pretty much done for the day.  There’s nothing left in my tank.

When I saw that Sunday was going to be a bad day for driving, I got all my “out of the house” chores done on Saturday.  Sunday morning I made French toast for breakfast.  When a snow storm is on its way everyone seems to flock to the grocery stores to buy bread, eggs, and milk.  Since those are the ingredients in French toast, I like to celebrate snow days by making this unofficial breakfast of snowstorms.  And after breakfast I settled in to enjoy the coziness of my living room.  It was pure joy.  It had been many months since my last day of full relaxation.  And it reminded me how important it is to take care of yourself.

Self-care doesn’t have to come with a price tag.  It doesn’t have to involve a spa or a salon or a vacation or a shopping spree.  Self-care can be as simple as a day that you don’t leave home and you just watch movies and pet your cat.  My Sunday snow day filled me with happiness and recharged my batteries.  And it didn’t cost a dime (outside the groceries and streaming subscriptions I was already paying for).

Life can be overwhelming.  We live in a complicated and divisive time.  A lot of people are carrying the burdens of anger and fear.  Please remember to practice kindness.  And that includes being kind to yourself.

I hope you are able to experience the pure joy of a good old-fashioned snow day like I just did.

Give Yourself a Little Grace

Leave a reply

We’ve reached that point in the semester when everyone is exhausted and overwhelmed.  The stretch from Labor Day to Thanksgiving break seems eternal.  The will to do what is required isn’t as strong as it needs to be.  This happens every year at this time.  And it’s not just a student sentiment.  The faculty and staff are right there too.

You may think I’m about to head into a “you can do this” pep talk.  But I’m not.  Today I want to focus on how it’s ok to give yourself a little grace.  On Sunday when I got back from a four day training conference, my email was a little out of control.  I thought about logging in and trying to clear out the jam Sunday night.  But I gave myself a little grace.  I let the email sit until Monday.  And because of that I did not get my weekly email out on Monday like I normally do.  But it’s email and the Moneywise Tip.  Nobody is going to die if these things are delayed by 24 hours.  And giving myself that concession was a better choice for my mental health.

I’m not saying that you should skip classes and turn in assignments late.  I am saying that sometimes things you are working on won’t be quite up to your standards.  Sometimes you may have to say no to something you would prefer to take on.  Sometimes you will have to pass on a social event.  Sometimes you may substitute a convenience option from the supermarket rather than making something from scratch.  Corners may be cut.  And it’s ok to give yourself a little grace.  Nobody is perfect.  Nobody has infinite time.  Everyone is tired.

Life can be overwhelming.  Especially when you are in law school, and you see exams peeking around the corner.  Take a breath.  Look at your priorities.  If you can take something off your plate, do it.  If there is someone who can help you, ask.  Give yourself a little grace.  Is the world going to end?  Is anybody going to die?  Likely not.  It’s ok to make yourself a priority.  And now…what you expected earlier….you can do this!!!

Investing in Yourself

Leave a reply

The stock market is all over the news lately as it continues its roller coaster ride through 2022.  It almost makes a person think twice about investing.  Luckily there is more than one way to invest.  The Cambridge Dictionary defines investment as “the act of putting money, effort, time, etc. into something to make a profit or get an advantage.”  That can mean sinking money into stocks and bonds.  But it can also mean a number of other things.

Last week I took a vacation.  I spent a week camping my way up and down the Appalachian Mountains, with a three night stop in Tennessee to listen to bluegrass music.  For me that was an investment in myself.  When I left home I was burned out and emotionally exhausted.  When I returned to work I was refreshed and rejuvenated.  Putting that time and money into some time away yielded me the advantage of restoring my mind to a better place, which ultimately makes me better at my job and many other things in my life.

Most of my readers are full-time law students.  Pursuing a degree is definitely an investment in yourself.  Earning a law degree requires an investment of three years of your life as well as a good deal of money.  It’s not a small investment.  But the idea behind investing is that what you get in return is of greater value than what you put in.  In exchange for three years, a bunch of money, and no small amount of stress, the return is a degree which can provide you with a rewarding and often lucrative career.

Another way to invest in yourself is to take good care of your physical health.  Get some exercise.  Eat some vegetables.  Go to the doctor on occasion.  Brush your teeth.  All of these things require some effort.  But the yield is a body better equipped to last you for a very long time.  I admit that I struggle with this one (the exercise part specifically), but I know this is something that will be worthwhile and a good investment for the long run.

Ongoing education is another way to invest in yourself.  This can take many forms.  Learning a new language.  Going to hear a speaker.  Attending a conference.  Using YouTube to learn a new MS Excel trick. Using YouTube to learn how to do a home repair.  Pursuing another degree later in life.  Doing continuing education to maintain a certification.  Reading a book that will teach you a useful skill.  Watching a documentary on PBS.  The important thing is to never stop learning.  Invest in yourself by investing in your brain.

The stock market is indeed scary right now.  But it’s never the wrong time to invest in yourself.  You are a thing of value.  If you add more time and effort to that, you become a thing of even greater value.  Every investment is a risk.  But an investment in yourself is always worthwhile.

 

Focus on the Positive

Leave a reply

When life becomes difficult, I often turn to one specific line from a Sheryl Crow song.  “It’s not having what you want.  It’s wanting what you’ve got.”

This is time of great uncertainty.  Not just at Penn State.  Not just in the United States.  This is a global time of not knowing what is next.  And at times like this it is really easy to focus on the negative—all the things you can’t have or do.  We can’t be in our law school building.  We can’t hang out with friends.  We can’t eat in restaurants or drink in bars.  We can’t attend live music concerts or festivals (and many of you know this is my favorite thing to do!).  We’re all going a little stir crazy.  But changing the focus to the positive side can go a long way in uncertain times.

We are fortunate in so many ways.  We can’t be in our law school building.  But classes and services are still happening through the magic of technology that didn’t even exist not too long ago.  We can’t hang out with our friends in person.  But we can call.  We can Facetime.  We can Zoom.  We can watch Netflix together.  We can use the social networks (as a Gen-Xer I’ve favored Facebook as the best way to stay in touch with friends for a very long time).  We can’t eat in restaurants or drink in bars.  But we can buy groceries and take-out food (and beverage).  And it’s a great opportunity to explore cooking as a hobby!  We can’t attend live music concerts or festivals.  This one hits me close to home.  But there are a lot of recordings of concerts and festivals available to view and listen to.  I’m looking at this as an opportunity to listen to shows on the Internet Archive that I wasn’t able to attend .  And so many musicians are doing live performances from their living rooms right now!  The reality is I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to ticket prices for canceled festivals being refunded to my credit card.  Not-quite-quarantine is saving me a boatload of money!

We are, however, all going a little stir crazy.  It’s important to practice some self-care at this time.  Go for a walk or a run.  Fire up the YouTube workout videos.  It’s important to keep your body moving, even if you can’t really go anywhere.  Eat healthy foods.  Loading up on chips and chocolate to drown your sadness and fear will not help anything.  Eat some protein and vegetables.  That will actually make you feel better.  Establish a routine.  I’ve done everything I can to keep my remote work life as similar as possible to my on-campus work life.  I built myself a little office in the corner of my guest room.  That’s my daily 8 to 5 spot.  I turn on the lava lamp on top of my desk (yes….I’m very much a hippie) to symbolize the start of the day.  I turn it off when I finish working for the day.  I (usually) take a shower before I start working.  I get dressed.  Not dress-up clothes—I’m not crazy! But something other than what I sleep in.  These little steps make me feel more normal.  In a time that is very much not normal.  And I have to say, I’m liking it.  I’m comfortable in my new routine, and a little bit of comfort goes a long way right now.

It’s not having what you want.  It’s wanting what you’ve got.  And right now I’m so amazingly grateful that I’ve got so much that I want.