Oh man. Last night was one of those nights. You know what I’m talking about parents-where you have been in a good sleep routine with the kid, and BAM! They decide to shatter your (literal) dreams. Luckily, this happens less and less the older your child gets. But when it happens…it hurts!

After a less than restful night (for all three of us), my husband graciously offered to take Nola so that I could go back to sleep for an hour. At this point, I had attempted coffee, reading and playing with Nola to wake myself up, to no avail, so I happily accepted. Only thing is, Nola wasn’t having it. She wanted all three of us to play together, no matter how zombie-like her momma and dadda were. After feeling REALLY sorry for myself and trying not to cry from sheer exhaustion, I gave up on sleep. At this point Remy took Nola to the park…but it was too late because I was feeling way too sorry for myself and thinking about everything I had to do and never did since I was five and WOW….I got off track there! It’s kind of my specialty 😉 I should also mention this night came after a fender bender (my fault, tapped someone, no one was hurt). A very wise friend said to me “when car accidents happen, where nobody is hurt, what message are you needing to hear?”. And it dawned on me…SELF CARE. It is time to take care of myself. But how?

I stopped to think; what would I tell someone I was coaching right now? One, it would be to stop feeling sorry for yourself. IT IS A WASTE OF TIME. You and only you have the power to turn your day around with your attitude. Just decide it is no longer going this way.

Two, I got out of bed. Laying there was useless and I was only going to reach for social media, which is pointless. I got in the shower and took the longest shower ever! Not my normal “mom” shower that is 5 minutes. The one where I felt like a million dollars after. I did my make up and hair and got dressed in an outfit that I feel great in. Then, I re-heated my coffee and read. Reading helps me to flush the negative and replace it with positive. (Currently reading: Find Your Courage: 12 acts for becoming fearless at work and in life). Then, I ate a healthy delicious breakfast. Alone. It was amazing!!

And now, my incredible husband and cranky daughter are home and my attitude is 100% different. You CANNOT control your toddler/accidents, but you can control your attitude. What does self-care look like for you? What are some of your favorite ways to turn your day around?

I vow to take better care of ME, so that I can be a better wife, mom, coach and friend.