[Taken at Dinner in Key Largo 11.2019]
Hello Hello! Wow it’s been a while since I’ve last posted! I needed a break from well EVERYTHING ha! I feel like we can ALL relate to that these days + to be honest, I think its normal + necessary to do so every once in a while. Step back, take a break + check in with yourself. I feel like we need these breaks because obviously something isn’t working anymore + we need to figure out what exactly is “wrong” + make the adjustments needed to be “okay” again for lack of better words.
I take these breaks when I feel unmotivated by everything + I do mean everything. Even thinking about creating a post that I have already thought of + planned out. All I had to do was add the images + write the content. Nope, my brain can not handle that. I get anxious + almost angry at Sparkle because I don’t want to do it. Then I get down on myself because I SHOULD be creating + posting for Sparkle. I SHOULD feel excited + motivated to create something that I LOVE! This happened the past couple of weeks unfortunately.
So what I did was STOP + took a deep breath. I had to force myself to stop with the negative talk + instead figure out what was causing me to feel this way. [Disclaimer: I know that this won’t always work + sometimes you have to just push through no matter what you’re feeling.] I’m not saying that I stopped doing the everyday things I HAVE to do so I could spend my days soul searching for the reason why I felt so blah.
What I did was I took a step back from Sparkle and did all the things I had to do, all while trying to figure out what made me feel so negative about Sparkle. Basically I took the time I would be working on Sparkle to figure out what was causing me to feel this way + how/what I could change to feel better.
To be very frank, it’s not easy or fast. . It’s almost annoying to be honest because at least for me, I go through EVERYTHING that has happened + trying to figure out when exactly I started feeling blah + cross reference them. Once I figured out what the cause was, in this case the events that happened in DC + some personal things, I could then move forward with how to feel better. I learned at a very young age that I can not control the events that go on around me but I CAN control how I react + respond to them.
The first thing I did was allow myself to feel the emotions I was feeling. I didn’t try to push them away, ignore them, pretend everything was fine etc. I felt them all. It wasn’t fun, I mean who likes feeling unmotivated, lost, confused, etc. I think its important to allow yourself to feel these feelings because its your bod + mind telling you something is wrong. So I felt all the feelings. After a day or two okay like five lol of feeling the feelings + going over everything that had happened I started to think of things that bring me joy. Things that set my soul on fire, things that make me smile + excited.
It may sound silly but for me things that make me smile are pretty pictures, either ones I’ve taken or find, finding lost treasures I forgot I had + putting them on display so I can enjoy them. Changing up my space so I feel more inspired, making new outfits out of pieces I already own, reading, journaling + praying. I also get outside + take a walk. I look around at my surroundings to see if I notice anything that I’ve passed a million times but never noticed. I take deep breaths + connect back to nature. I feel liberated almost after + more in control.
To be honest, sometimes it takes a while to get any motivation to do any of that so I usually start with the walk because I always feel better after that. Then I have to force myself to not sit down or lay in bed. I force myself to put together some outfits, organize my space, look at inspiring pictures. Sometimes I’ll also brain storm/dump all my ideas of posts for Sparkle. Every time is different + takes different things to get me to feel better. But the important part is not giving up on trying to feel better.
After I start feeling better I can move to change things in my life so that hopefully it doesn’t happen again. It could be taking more time for me, talking with the people closest to me, changing the way my day is structured, etc. I will [try to] restructure my day + routine with intention so that I can protect myself almost from feeling unmotivated + blah again. Obviously it’s not always possible and like I said earlier, I have to just push through no matter what + try to find little snippets of joy throughout my day.
If I can’t restructure my day then I force myself to find to things that bring my joy throughout my day so I can feel inspired + as I usually do more than not. It’s not easy at first but I promise it gets better + before I know it, I’m feeling my old self.
With everything going on in the world I feel like I need to take these breaks more than I usually do + part of feeling better is allowing myself to take them when I need them + not feel guilty or down about myself. The important part is I don’t let my self stay in the break + I intentionally work everyday to feel better.
If you are in a rut or just feeling heavy + not yourself I promise you, it won’t last forever + you’re stronger than you think! You’ll get through it! You are also not alone I promise!
Wow, sorry I didn’t mean for this to be a short novel ha! If you need anything you can always reach me on Instagram @Jennniferlynn11 + can follow me on Pinterest @jennniferlynn11 to see the pictures that I find that inspire me.
Thank you so much for being here!
Always Sparkle and Shine Bright…
xoxo,
Jen