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rikileighharnish

Self-Care Challenge

For the past few months, I have been running on fumes. By the end of April, I don't even think I had fumes left to run on, just running on red-bull and espresso honestly. Someting about myself: I like to stay busy. I always have and always probably will. I get crazy cabin fever. Even after having my children, I was out of the house in 2 days, ready to go anywhere for an hour or two. I also THRIVE during sports seasons. I know so many people won't get this, and I don't expect you to. It is just who I am. I throughly enjoy watching my kids do what they love, and even though the busieness of baseball/gymnastics season is INTENSE, it feels like I have fully living in my purpose. It's crazy, I know. But I love a full schedule, what can I say?

HOWEVER, the past few months were more than just busy. It was more than just a sports season. It was two months straight of juggling more than one is capable of juggling. It was two months of saying yes before even looking to see if I was already too busy (news flash: I was). It was two months of stretching myself so thin, to the point of breaking.

I ended April with a bang, loading up my already full plate until it was spilling over from all directions. I want to list everything I did that week but I really feel like no one would believe it, so I won't. When the week was over, and concidentally a new week started the same day as the new month... I decided that something had to change. Sure, I will still be busy. I have 4 kids, a dog, a husband, and a job afterall. But just because I enjoy busy and just because I know I can do it... doesn't mean I should do it all. In fact, it would be really unhealthy mentally and physically if I did to keep this crazy schedule up another month. So I started a challenge for myself. Apparently I don't get things done without a challenge, so I decided that for the month of May, I would challenge myself to do one act of self-care every day of the month. My rules for this challenge: I could not skip a day, it has to be something that brings me genuine peace or joy, and I could not say yes to anything that I did not want to do this month. What I chose did not have to be extravagant or take a great deal of time, but it just had to bring me peace or joy.


Here's what I came up with:

  1. Buy myself a smoothie

  2. take a sunrise walk

  3. Go to the beach

  4. Meet up with friends for coffee

  5. Take a bubble bath

  6. 30 min run

  7. Face mask routine

  8. Journal

  9. Go on a bike ride

  10. Go to Starbucks alone

  11. Go to a yoga class

  12. Send a card to a friend

  13. Sunrise walk

  14. Send friends a mothers day gift

  15. Journal

  16. Book Club

  17. Date night

  18. Paint

  19. Get a massage

  20. Baseball Game with Family

  21. Social Media Break

  22. Journal

  23. Buy myself lunch

  24. Yoga

  25. Build my flower legos

  26. Take a nap

  27. Sunrise walk

  28. Write special notes to my kids and Andy

  29. Buy myself Shoes

  30. Plan next month's challenge

I am two weeks in on this challenge and I have to say that so far, it is one of the best things I have ever done for myself. I feel like I am finally showing myself that I matter. I always do put myself as a priority, as both a runner (early morning runs) and a writer (write before the kids get up)... but this is different. This is just showering myself with love, joy, and peace. Not because I did anything to earn it.. but because I deserve it just because I am. 90% of these take no time away from my family, 90% are free, but 100% of them have put a smile on my face. I needed that.


Just a reminder.. you don't need a challenge, a special holiday (Mother's Day), or a month of running yourself ragged to deserve a break. You can take care of yourself every single day in small ways. It truly makes a difference!


If you like this challenge, I challenge you to try this next month. If you don't need a self-care challenge, then I challenge you to try my face-your-fear challenge that I am doing next month!


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