So, March was a hectic month for me. Work was insanely busy, I traveled, and when I returned home, I was extremely sick. I’m talking steroids, antibiotics, and mandatory bed rest. I also had some life things happening in the background that caused the combo of reentering everyday life after my trip and being bedridden to pull me into a slump.
Luckily, I’ve healed from travel sickness and feel like myself again (minus a lingering cough), and am now ready to tackle April and see what this month has to offer.
I always try to start my month by mapping out key dates, my goals, and pockets of time in my weeks to recharge and pour into my hobbies.
The theme for this month’s planning session was getting back on track after a rough month and falling off my routines, so I wanted to share a few things I did that helped me bounce back and prepare for a better month ahead:
Honoring my feelings and not trying to force it
Because I wanted to feel better quickly, when I was in my slump, I tried to push past my feelings and force positivity. When we push past our feelings instead of honoring them, they often surface in other ways. When I tried to force myself to breeze past the way I was feeling, I ended up right back where I started because I was rushing the process. Instead, I let myself feel whatever emotions came. I also journaled A LOT, which helped. Eventually, the feelings that caused my slump became smaller, my body healed, and I was slowly able to ease back into my regular routines.
Leaning on my support system
As someone who is hyperindependent, I struggle to ask for help – even if I’m bedridden with no voice and can’t move. I’ve had to learn to lean on my support system more and accept their help when they offer it. Whether it was a listening ear or bringing me soup when I wasn’t feeling well, my family and friends really helped me navigate the rough patch I was in.
Focusing on my wins
When I’m in a tough season, it’s easy to focus on the negatives, especially when things pile up at once. Looking for one small win each day changed my thought process and helped me scan for positives instead of dwelling on the negatives. Even though I’m out of my rough patch, I still practice this because it helps me notice the good I can tend to overlook.
Setting small goals to get back on track
Once I started to feel better, I had to fight the urge to jump headfirst into everything I wanted to do. Setting small, attainable goals gave me something to look forward to this month, and as I’ve checked things off my list, it’s given me a small boost, knowing I’m taking steps in the right direction to get back into my routines.
We all have off moments where life circumstances feel like they’re pushing us further away from our goals, but every time I’ve overcome a slump or a rough patch, I’ve learned that how you bounce back is more important than the fall off.
P.S. I started a YouTube channel at the beginning of this year. If you want to see more of my life, subscribe here. 🙂
the imara edit 
Leave a comment