1. Feeling like I don't have time to exercise. I have been doing 10-minute strength videos every day, and I literally ALWAYS have 10 minutes. Same with dog walks-- I always have time to walk the dog.
clearly she appreciates a walk, if only for stick collecting
also she may soon require fewer walks because she braved the deck stairs for the first time ever and now enjoys a romp around the back yard every few hours.
2. Slippery slope thinking-- this is a tough one for me because I basically spend my entire life balanced on the top of a slippery slop fallacy. Whether it is anxiety-fueled catastrophizing or just a weird kind of inflexibility because I think that if I do Thing A then it will kick off a sequence of event that will cause Disaster Z to happen, slippery slope thinking is a huge happiness stumbling block for me. If Dorothy decides she doesn;t want to try out for tap this summer, for example, this does not actually mean she also has to reschedule all her privates and drop the extra credit leaps and turns class that follows tap on the schedule-- it's the little things.
3. Leaving the house looking like crap. I DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS! I can even look cute to walk the dog! Recently, I have dusted off my old hotty hots and also bought a couple new pairs of shirts, a couple of tanks, and a couple of sports bras that give me two distinct breasts and not the dread shelf. It;s kind of like the exercise note above-- I actually always do have time to put on acceptable clothes and run a flat iron through my bangs if I did not blow my hair out the night before. LIP BALM and SUNSCREEN SERUM go a long way when you are almost 50.
annabel is so happy that I got my sartorial dog walking shit together that she's SMILING
5. Caring more about the state of my house than the happiness level of the people inside it. This one is tricky, but I think I can do it!
yard flowers, so beautiful they look fake
Those really are amazing pics!
ReplyDeleteYou can do it, Sarah! I am a firm believer in #3 and 4, I honestly do not feel like myself if I don't put on clean athleisure at least to walk Rex, with some tinted lip balm and mascara. It takes less than two minutes to put this together. And after that I need to shower and look nice for my own mental health, even if I'm just around the house all day.
This felt very directed at me (obvs it wasn’t but I am SO GUILTY of all these things). I have gotten very diligent about washing my face and applying sunscreen. I think I need to figure out how to do more habit stacking so I get in all the things. Everything feels very up in the air right now - we’re in that routineless state that I hate.
ReplyDeleteThose photos are spectacular. Dorothy is so strong and agile! Hope the dance weekend goes great!
Dorothy's pictures are absolutely amazing!
ReplyDeleteYou always look cute in your photos, so I don't know what you're talking about in #3. What if you posted your photo every day? Would that be an incentive to get dressed etc.?
#5 Gave me Jean Genet's The Maids vibes. Ha.
Wow, those photos of Dorothy are amazing! And I agree with Maya above- you always look cute in your photos. I agree that putting on SOMETHING decent to leave the house is a good idea though- I stopped picking my daughter up while wearing pajamas when she surprised me with random people who we were also driving home.
ReplyDeleteI agree- little spurts of exercise are ALWAYS possible, and it all adds up.
Those pics seriously look AI generated. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteI always feel sort of attacked when people talk about not leaving the house looking like a slob (I know it's not about me and yet). Some days I know I won't feel cute no matter what I do, and I don't want to start trying because I feel like I'll waste an hour and still hate the way I look. My bangs get sweaty and gross when I'm walking the dog no matter what. I have never seen you un-cute, so what you're doing works!
Cute adjacent, who? Not you - you always nail cute in ways I can only dream of. Those pics are super impressive and so fun. If it were me, I think this is the photo shoot I would've found stressful. I think we are polar opposites here: caring about the state of my house . . . not that I necessarily prioritize the happiness of my people, but I don't put a ton of energy into keeping a clean, neat, tidy house - until things are in shambles. Then I get grouchy. Case in point, we're hosting Coach's side tomorrow and if you saw my house right now, you would assume we were meeting at a restaurant and not at our home. Is this a home, or is this a dumping ground? Who can tell? I helped my dad with his colonoscopy today, so I'm short on sleep and not terribly motivated - not a great combo. I know you're gonna have the best summer, and you're gonna look cute while doing so.
ReplyDeleteWhat Bras did you buy
ReplyDeleteI say anything that makes you feel better and gives you confidence, whether that’s a new bra or bits of exercise or a flat iron to the bangs, DO IT. And yeah, you always look cute, so there’s that. :) FABULOUS DANCE PICS!
ReplyDeleteI love the dance pics!
ReplyDeleteWhenever I have plans, I always find myself dressing up more than I normally would. I almost never dress up these days, so it's always an extra-special treat. I totally understand this desire!