Last week, I wrote about being too tired to care and too stubborn to quit. I dropped the curtain a little, shared how close to burnout I was, and how much I was just trying to keep going. This post is not a polished comeback or some rebrand of wellness.
It is a continuation.
This is what the crawl back from the edge looks like.
My phone pinged for the 47th time yesterday, and I snapped: “Enough!” So, here are five things I have done this week that count as self-care, even without a scented candle or a morning mantra.
1. I put my phone down… face down… across the room.
Not to be zen. I just could not handle one more notification, one more ping, or one more request. And you know what? It was relaxing. Nothing burned down while I ignored it.
2. I ate something simple, and I stayed in the moment.
I sat down, I breathed, I ate. Nothing fancy. I talked to my husband instead of scrolling through emails. I let the moment be enough.
3. I said “no” and did not apologize for it.
That is still hard for me. But this week, I said no, and I meant it. Not attached to guilt. Not with a backpedal. Just… no. I chose my energy over someone else’s expectation.
4. I took a walk. Not a hike. Not a workout. Just… a walk.
It was quiet. It was mine. And for a few minutes, I remembered how much I used to love moving like that, how hiking used to be one of my favorite things. Maybe this was step one in finding my way back to that.
5. I let the laundry wait.
That mountain of clothes? Still there. And I am still here.
Sometimes the win is choosing a sit-down dinner, a quiet walk outside, and not letting other people’s urgency hijack your peace.
Self-care is not always soft. Sometimes it is sharp.
Sometimes it is choosing stillness when everything else screams ‘go.’
What did you do this week that counts as self-care?
From Here to Me 