The 31 Day Self-Care Challenge: A Moment of Reflection

What a difference a month can make when you’re focused on yourself! The 31 Day Self-Care Challenge did me so much good! Admittedly, I was in a bad place at the end of June. I had so much going on & was beyond stressed & overwhelmed. Join me for a moment of reflection as I look back on my journey throughout the challenge.

In the Beginning

Man oh man! June 2023 took me down through there! I felt like everything that could come my way hit me. I had internal & external battles I faced. Physical health, mental health, financial, parenting, relationship, & work issues…all at once. I wasn’t sleeping well. I was either at the extreme of barely sleeping or the opposite, sleeping off & on when I should’ve been awake. I started eating any & everything I encountered, whether I was hungry or not. I worked to take my mind off some issues but was just as stressed working as when I wasn’t. I skimped on meditating & doing yoga, not to mention wasn’t thinking about exercising. I was an emotional wreck, you hear me?

     Compiling the list of tasks for the 31 Day Self-Care Challenge was a breeze. I had a variety of ideas that I should’ve been using to decompress, but my energy level & motivation were so low I wouldn’t follow through. By the last few days of June, I looked forward to starting the challenge. I knew I would have others to keep me motivated & hold me accountable. I also felt I needed to lead by example. How hypocritical it would’ve been for me to suggest others prioritize themselves while I watched from the sidelines?! Yeah, that ain’t ya girl!

     A few days before the kickoff, I started walking. I made a playlist that had some empowering songs to uplift the funk I was in, grabbed my Beats, & headed to the park. The path around the lake gave me no choice but to go the complete track, which is a little over 1.5 miles. I knew if I walked around my neighborhood, it wouldn’t give me serene scenery & I could cut my walk short at any time. Needless to say, I made sure I’d have to push myself to excel. Sub par just wasn’t going to cut it anymore. 

     As the challenge kicked off, I started getting messages on social media & texts from friends & family about each task. It kept me motivated to continue on. It held me accountable when I saw how others made time for themselves. I posted IG Stories showing what I did each day, letting others know I was on this journey with them. Sometime this week, I’m going to compile all of my pics into a video to post. 

     I took my mental health serious & reached out for help. Deciding to take medication was the best decision I could’ve made for myself. I hate taking any kind; partially because I don’t like side effects & partially because my old tail can’t swallow pills 🤦🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️. However, my anxiety was through the roof & my moods were low, almost as low as I felt back during my darkest times. I was ready to bite people’s heads off at the drop of a dime, so I put myself in timeout damn near daily. That’s no way to live, so I stepped out on faith & made the doctor’s appointment. 

     That was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! Mental health is REAL, y’all! I know from personal experience, which I’m very transparent about. Ain’t no shame; you’re not alone & it doesn’t make you crazy, or weird, or any other negative stereotype this messed up society we live in puts out. Working in the behavioral health field for 20 years has shown me so much that I’m unfortunately desensitized to almost anything. We need to take prioritizing mental  health more seriously & push our communities to produce more resources. I can definitely say that the lack in NC is disgusting! I rant weekly at work about what’s needed, but the powers that be are deaf & blind to what’s really needed. That’s another blog for another day though…

The Journey

Day 1  began as an easy task. Meditation is something I do daily already, even though I wasn’t consistently taking it seriously. Many times I’d listen but not be able to disconnect from outside noises the entire time. The pause gave my mind a brief break when I was all in though. I did 2 per day during the week & one at night on weekends. Guided ones work best for me so I can stay on track. This mind of mine is always on go mode (it’s 4am now as I write), so I need to have my hand held. That pause daily always came right on time, & many times the messages spoke to my soul.

     Day 2 might have been one of my favorites because I didn’t realize how much I needed to disconnect from my phone. It showed me how much time I waste daily on social media, playing games, or browsing the internet. That day gave me time to rest my mind, not work, read books, & spend time with family. Who knew how much of a hold your phone has on you? Chile, this thing is addictive, & a few people admitted to struggling through that day. I, however, realized I need to disconnect completely more often. I may start scheduling a day per week to do just that. 

     I kept my walking journey going almost the whole month. It felt good to set out first thing in the morning Friday through Sunday embracing God’s creation. I saw animals peacefully moving about, encountered smiling faces who were also getting some exercise in, & was able to take time to free my mind by listening to music, a podcast, or a sermon. I did fall off track at the end after vacation. It was way too hot to walk at any time in Florida, & I wasn’t trying to get snatched up in an unfamiliar environment. 

     I failed at eating healthier, but I made a few changes here & there. I’m a foodie, & I’m not passing up on anything that could potentially taste good. My snacking improved & I started making smoothies again as a meal for a few days after walking. My water intake has gotten better, but I still need to be more intentional about staying hydrated throughout the day. With some better planning, I’m sure I can turn both of those around though. 

     I interacted with my loved ones a lot more. Sending messages or texts to friends & family allowed me  to see how loved I am & how many people I actually do like. I’m an introvert & prefer to be at home solo (or almost solo), so it gave me a different perspective that I actually do like more people than I thought. I just don’t like being overstimulated with a lot of people at one time. Small groups are great, but when we start going above 10, I’m ready to peace out!

     Tapping more into my spiritual side kept me uplifted. There were so many sermons, devotionals, & talks I came across that were right on time. God has a way of sending you exactly what you need at the right time. Some of those messages helped keep me encouraged, centered, & from being ready to knock someone out. It’s amazing how the Word can turn things around for you!

     Intellectually, I was full. I read 4 books last month. The variety was on point. Two books were on setting boundaries (Shout out to Nedra Glover Tawwab on those great works of art! Check them out on her website: https://www.nedratawwab.com). I learned so much about myself & others from those books. I definitely can use some boundary setting in every connection I have to others. I threw an autobiography in there called “Rabbit” that was super entertaining & inspiring. And the fiction I read kept me on my toes trying to figure out “who done it.” I’m pushing myself to read more this year, & amazingly I’m on book #26 right now!

The Outcome

Needless to say, doing the challenge last month was exactly what I needed, right on time! The stress was too much to handle, so giving myself even a few minutes each day to prioritize myself felt great! It made me realize how low I’d been putting myself on my list of priorities, which probably contributed to my out-of-control stress levels. I know I need to schedule more time for myself outside of just a nightly meditation, weekly spiritual session, & journaling daily. I can’t go back to where I was!

     Many people expressed enjoying participating over the last month, so I’ll be hosting another challenge in October. I always say I come alive in the fall time (yes I love The Weeknd), so we’ll kick the final quarter of 2023 off with pouring into ourselves more often. I’m also cohosting a Self-Care Saturday event on October 7th in Charlotte, so it’s the perfect time to get the message out to more people. Stay tuned for more details & feel free to spread the word. The more the merrier, but even more important, the more I touch, the better I feel for impacting someone in a positive way. That was the whole point of starting Intentional. You’re only as good as the footprint you leave on the world!