The pandemic taught me it was time to take better care of myself
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first blog. I wanted to write about something good that blessed my life through the pandemic. But once I finally tried to put pen to paper, it was much harder than I expected. I tell you this in hopes that you will be tender with your feedback once you have reached the end. So here goes...
At the beginning of 2020, I would have never imagined that we would be heading into a pandemic.
One that kept us at home, away from friends and family, away from our “normal.” When the kids didn’t return to school after Spring break, I felt a little lost and a lot overwhelmed. How would we do this? How will we make virtual learning work for our family? Which one of us would be able to stay home to take care of the kids? You know… all the same questions most families were asking themselves. Thankfully, my husband’s workplace quickly transitioned their employees to work-from-home. Thank goodness for that blessing. One less thing to worry about! Like most, we simply did what we had to do to make the most of a bad situation. That is life – take it day by day; do what you can. Right?
There was one thing that changed that had a big impact on my mental wellness.
The gym closed. Now, please know that I am fully aware that the gym being closed might not seem like that big of a deal to some. {And it may even seem ridiculous considering what we were living through.} But for me, my life tends to be rather routine. Ever since becoming a mom, having a routine has been important for my mental wellness. And exercising is MY time. It is my little escape to focus on me. Most evenings prior to the pandemic, I would come home after work, make dinner, help with homework, get my daughters settled for the evening, and then go to the gym for an hour. It was difficult for me not being able to go to the gym and get that “ME” time. I started to struggle, mentally. I was in a funk. It wasn’t just me that felt the effects; my family was feeling my struggle, as well.
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Then a little blessing happened. My dear friend Justine and I were texting one day, and she mentioned that she was considering signing up to be a Beachbody (BB) coach. (I know what you’re thinking.. but this story is NOT a sales pitch. Promise.)
Essentially, she was feeling the same as me – a little lost and struggling. We started chatting about how we could help each other. We knew that other women would be struggling as well – needing help with motivation, support and accountability. We decided we would be coaches together and hold each other accountable. We started texting each other EVERY day about how we were doing. I started waking up early to get my workouts in while everyone else in my house was asleep. And you know what – this one small change to my routine has been a huge win for me, mentally and physically.
Every morning that I wake up and exercise, I have this sense of accomplishment
. Like, I already kicked the day’s butt. This probably sounds cliché, but these actions have changed me and my life. Having my accountability partner was exactly what I needed! I was feeling better.
Last Summer we began posting on social media about our workouts and started our first online challenge group as co-coaches.
pandemic take better care myself - theCityMoms
We were both nervous to post on social media about being coaches and our plans for our first challenge group; fearful of what others would say. Because if we are being honest, it’s oftentimes the folks closest to us that show the least support. (But that is not what this story is about; that is a whole other story!) But together we pushed through. We started our group and had approximately 10 ladies that joined us for that first challenge. It. Was. So. Great! My hope was, and still is, to inspire others. I started getting messages from lots of people on social media about how I was inspiring them with my morning workouts and stories. That was such a heartwarming surprise! I never truly thought that anyone would pay much attention to my little stories about workouts and wellness. But it has been fun, and we keep at it every day.
So while there have been lots of little, unexpected blessings over the last year, the biggest blessing has been the friendship that bloomed into a sisterhood.
Justine and I have literally texted or chatted every single day since April of 2020. We were good friends before, but I cannot explain how much our friendship strengthened through this crazy pandemic. What started out as a small conversation about coaching, has led to a life-changing friendship. A friendship that makes me feel seen, heard, supported, and loved every day. Every morning we voice text each other to say good morning; to remind each other to make it a great day; to talk about our hopes for the day. If we’re having a bad day, we talk about it. If we need to vent about our husbands or kiddos, we vent without any fear of judgment whatsoever. We have had some very hard talks over the last year about our own personal struggles. The real, raw talks that you often don’t want to talk about because it’s uncomfortable. We have cried for each other, a lot. And we have laughed so hard that we’ve cried. We’ve talked about our dreams for the future and all the things we want to do “before we get too old.” We make goals and help each other reach them. I think when you are a mom and wife and employee (the list goes on), your life gets consumed with all of that. Many times, friendships dwindle because everyone is “so busy.” We stop prioritizing the value of friendship – even though friends bring us so much joy and can revive us. We lose sight of the importance of true, genuine friendship. The ones that are of love and thoughtfulness, not of convenience. I think I lost sight of just how important it is to have that kind of friend in my corner. And if I am being honest, I don’t know that I ever had a friendship quite like this one. This friendship is the best blessing that I didn’t even know I needed. I can only assume that if the pandemic had not hit us, this friendship turned sisterhood would not have happened. So, in a strange way, I am thankful the pandemic made us slow down; made us do things differently and change our routine. I’m 41 years old, and I’m the happiest and healthiest I have been in a long time. Her friendship is a big part of that health and happiness. My hope is that every woman has a Justine in their life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lee Ann Robertson is a 40yr old mom of two girls, Ellee + Izzy. She's married to Bryan, lives in Greenwood, works as an administrative assistant, and has been a CityMoms member almost since our start in 2013! In her spare time she loves rollerskating, working out, reading + relaxing in a quiet house {which never happens!}. Find her on Instagram.
