Slow January
After the holidays, I feel so wiped out. Christmas is always an energy draining time for me.
Every year goes like this:
October comes around and we have Halloween and all the fun fall festivities. I start to feel excited about the next couple months.
November rolls around and we travel to the Bay Area to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Immediately come home and start Christmas shopping and all the fun Christmas activities with the kiddos. Excitement is starting to slowly turn into stress. We’re usually still healthy as this point.
December comes in like a Mack truck. I scramble around trying to decorate the house and buy all the gifts. Every year I try to buy gifts earlier so I’m not shopping last minute – this year was the most successful (patting myself on the back). Stress is in full bloom at this point.
We ALWAYS get sick. Every. Single. December. This year was rough – we were sick for the entire month.
We host Christmas Day at our house with my husband’s dad’s side of the family. We’ll host anywhere from 20-30 people. It’s a lot of cooking and a lot of preparing. It’s also a lot of fun.
Then the day after Christmas, my family arrives and spends 1-2 weeks with us – right into the new year. I LOVE having them stay here but it is also very energy draining.
Every January, I feel tired and run down. Not to mention, my oldest’s birthday is in January. And we usually have a birthday party for her.
I also promise myself every year that I won’t overdo it (again) and will be more slow and intentional with my time. And every year I don’t keep my promise to myself and start the year in a sick and wrecked state.
2020 has been different. Although December proved to be the shitshow it always is, I have been slow and intentional with my time all through January.
The first thing I needed was a break from social media. I love the community that has been created through The Compassionate Motherhood Experience, but it also takes up A LOT of my time and energy.
I have felt torn about taking a break from social media and my passion project. As much as the break was needed, I felt guilt for not posting, commenting, or creating more content. I felt like I was letting my community down.
Additionally, January is notorious for a time of motivation and “new beginnings”. People tend to set goals, start going to the gym, and try to set the pace for the year.
However, I knew from previous years that that doesn’t work for me. I end up getting sick again or spend months trying to recover from whatever illness we suffered from in December. I feel overwhelmed and stressed.
The start of this year has been my all time favorite. I’ve given myself complete grace in being slow with my kids. Enjoying every second of every day. They seem to be growing even faster lately and I don’t want to miss one minute of any of it.
My oldest is turning 5 next week and we’ve decided on no birthday parties for her or her sister who will be 4 in a month. What sweet relief that is!
I have taken a complete break from The Compassionate Motherhood Experience and have been on social media very minimally. And although I have eaten as healthy as possible and have continued working out 5-6 times a week, I have also enjoyed ice cream with my family and champagne with my friends.
It has all been so good for my soul.
We have a jam packed Spring with something going on almost every weekend until June. Knowing this has made it much easier in eliminating guilt around my intentionally slow January.
Now that January is already coming to a close (how did that happen so fast?!), I feel much more focused and ready for the rest of the year.
The promise to myself that I WILL KEEP, is to be slow every January. Use that time to reflect on how awesome the holidays and previous year were. Think about what I want out of the new year. And enjoy my sweet growing family.
What is the promise you’re making to yourself?
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