Happy Sunday all! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving if you celebrate, and if you did I hope you did your very best to keep not only you, but your family safe. I was having a bit of a rough day last Sunday, so I decided to skip posting. Mostly because I was feeling uninspired and didn't want to force a post that was less than my usual effort. That has lead me into this week's post. I do want to get back into my series of emotions, but I think that is going to wait until after the holidays now. This week I want to talk about struggling. 

I think it is safe to say we have all struggled to some extent this year. I know some people have had a much tougher time this year than others, especially if someone you love has passed from this horrible pandemic. To be quite honest this whole year has just felt like an entire year of doom and gloom. Between weddings canceled, trips canceled, not being able to see family for the holidays, jobs lost, and so much more there has just been a lot of loss this year and it is enough to take an emotional toll on anyone. Even me, Miss Positivity has seriously struggled to keep that positive, happy-go-lucky attitude in life, and I only now realized it. I thought I was dealing with everything fine until recently when I really thought things through a little more and I realize I also was struggling with things a lot more than I thought I was.

So let's reflect a bit. Think about anything negative that came out of this year for you. Now I am not saying this in the sense that you should relive these horrible things, but if you are like me this year, you might be bottling things up until they become one big massive mess. If you have also been pushing those feelings aside, that genuinely is not a good thing to do. You need to allow yourself to feel all of these feelings. I think it is important to know you are most definitely not alone. We are all struggling to some extent this year, for big and small reasons. Maybe you are extra emotional. I know I have been extra irritable because of the stress and I do not like that I have been that way. Maybe you have a lack of motivation. Also me. Think about all these little signs and acknowledge them. Accepting that and actually dealing with it is such an important step in keeping a healthy mind through everything.

So once you have acknowledged you have been struggling, then what? Well I think there are plenty of things you can do to move forward and try to live a bit calmer in life. For one you can do something that might soothe you. Take a nice relaxing bubble bath, diffuse some calming essential oils, have a nice cup of herbal tea. There are so many small things like this to calm you My mother recently suggested to me that I start to journal. I obviously love writing, but I usually have a specific purpose in my writing. Why not channel that and focus on no other topic other than myself and my emotions. I also need to focus more on my workouts and really buckle down with them. I know working out is more than just for your body, so I know the fact that I have let that slip this year is a contributing factor as well. Overall my message here is to make yourself a priority. It is so easy to worry about other people so much that you lose sight of yourself and your needs along the way. I am sure this is especially true with mothers. Just know that it is perfectly okay to be a little selfish and work on yourself from time to time. Do something for your own mental clarity and happiness, because you will also do a lot better taking care of others if you make yourself a priority as well.

Please know that you are not alone. We all have our own personal struggles and battles we deal with every day. Just because someone else may be struggling for a much bigger reason does not mean your struggle and your feelings are invalid. This year has been hard. There has been so much sadness all over the world this year and I think it is safe to say that takes a mental toll on every single one of us, no matter how strong we try our best to perceive ourselves to be. You are not alone, and you are perfectly valid to take some time on you for your own mental health. Stop bottling things in because that is neevr good for anyone. Feel all of those feelings, allow yourself to deal with those feelings, and move forward even better than before for allowing that. You are always valid in doing so.