 If you feel overwhelmed and have lost parts of yourself, you are not alone. This year has been very intense. Growing up, I was taught to work hard, and self-care was not a topic often. Over the past months, I have learned that the only way I can be my best self is to take care of myself.
In this blog post, we will explore how to we can take care of ourselves. I am committing to doing these five things in July. Check-in with yourself With everything that we have to manage, it is easy to lose touch with ourselves. The most important part of you taking care of yourself is knowing how you feel mentally, emotionally, and physically. Often, we do not really know how we are doing because we do not take the time to ask ourselves. Question to reflect on
Ask for help The fact that you need help is not bad and does not mean you are lazy or incapable. It means that you are acknowledging that you have your hands full. Permitting yourself to ask for help and accepting it is a great way to take care of yourself. Question to reflect on
Do something for yourself We do a lot of things for other people around us and neglect ourselves. You are worth spending time on. It is time to prioritize yourself and do some self-care. I finally got a professional pedicure in over 18 months this weekend. It was a very small thing, but it made me feel much better. The sum of the small things that you do for yourself will make you feel better. Question to reflect on
Reconnect with people you like Having a deep connection with people is a crucial part of our lives. Plan to give them a call, grab some coffee, or a meal. When you connect with them, it is important to have deep conversations and check in with each other. Question to reflect on
Celebrate how far you have come There is so much power in celebrating the good that is happening in your life. Celebrating your milestones and accomplishments is crucial. Take a moment to remind yourself that you are doing amazing. The small and big wins are worth celebrating. Question to reflect on
Final Thoughts Committing to taking care of yourself is crucial. It needs to be something that you are intentional about and make an effort to do regularly. There is only one you, and no one can take better care of you than you can! Time for Reflection Why have you not been taking care of yourself? How do you take care of yourself? How are you going to continue taking care of yourself?
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 We are approaching the half-point mark of the year, and it is a great time to reflect on your goals and review your plan. I typically start these posts by wondering where all the time has gone. It is the same this time as well. I cannot believe that it is June already. 2021 has been a very fast year. We have all experienced so much in only six months.
In this blog post, we will do a six-month retrospective to see the progress we have made and identify what we will do to accomplish our goals this year. In addition, I will also share my retrospective. Review the past six months with the following steps Step #1: Take stock of where you are today compared to your plans This is the perfect time to review the goals you set for 2021 and the progress that you have made in the past six months. This step is the beginning of the process, and the objective is to help you clearly see where you are now compared to where you want to be at the end of the year. Questions to consider
Step #2: Celebrate your accomplishments In the previous step, you took stock of your progress and know what you have accomplished. It is time to celebrate the good things that you have achieved in the past months. Questions to consider
Step #3: Document your learnings from the things that did not go the way you planned There are a lot of great lessons to learn from the disappointments or setbacks you experienced this year. When you think about the things that did not go well this year, it is important that you do not let them get you down. Questions to consider
Step #4: Plan for the next six months When you reviewed your goals, you probably identified things that you want to do more of or new things that you want to do over the next months. Take the opportunity to create your plan for great impact and win in 2021. Questions to consider
Step #5: Take action Now that you have reviewed your goals and updated your plan, it is time to take action. Do the activities that will help you make progress towards your goals over the next months. Questions to consider
MC's 2021 Journey so far As I reflect on the last six months, I am proud of what I have accomplished and have learned many valuable lessons. This year has been an exciting year all around. The Highlights Reflecting on my goals for 2021, I have made some good progress:
The Lowlights With the progress that I have made, I have also experienced some setbacks
The lessons I learned
What I am looking forward to The rest of the year is going to be exciting for us. I am looking forward to a few exciting things:
Time for Reflection What was one surprising thing you learned or noticed during your review? When is your next review planned?  With everything that we have been managing over the past year, it is understandable if you feel that you are not enjoying work right now. We spend a lot of time doing work and deserve to be happy while we do it. If you want to rekindle your passion for work, this is for you.
In this blog post, we will explore five concrete things you can do to find your joy at work again. #1: Look back on what you have accomplished It is easy to get so caught up and not see the progress you have made over the past year. Looking back on your work results can remind you of what you like the most about your work. All your professional accomplishments, even the small ones, matter a lot. Even if you don't see it, you have made progress and are doing well. Strategies to consider
#2: Refresh your professional goals and update your career plan Most of us have been in survival mode over the past year. As a result, you may not have had the opportunity to define or check on your professional goals. Having an updated Career advancement plan helps give you a view of the future. Knowing that there are great things ahead builds excitement and rekindles your passion for your work. Do not let another year go by without you checking in on your professional goals. Strategies to consider
#3: Make a bold career move, start working on a new project or job After you review your career plan, you might discover that it is time to do something new or make even bigger career changes. Finding work that is satisfying and meets your development needs is crucial. If you know that the only way you can be happy at work is to change your job, plan, and make it happen. It could also be time to go up for a promotion. Asking for an overdue promotion is an emotional thing to do. However, making bold career moves has great rewards. Strategies to consider
#4: Revive your professional network Especially if you have been working virtually over the last year, you may have lost touch with your coworkers and industry connections. Most of us have been working from home, unable to attend conferences or professional meetups. The people in our professional lives have a positive impact on how we enjoy our work. It is crucial to be intentional about reconnecting with people professionally. Strategies to consider
#5: Find a passion project The truth is that work is only one part of your life. Focusing solely on your job and investing most of your time will not make you happy. Sharing our focus on multiple things will help us be at our best at work. Working on my blog posts and coaching sessions provides me a vital outlet. I find that I am better at work when I am working on projects that I care about. Strategies to consider
Final Thoughts: Is it time to take a break? If you read the strategies above and felt overwhelmed, it might be time to take a break. One of the first things that I did when I got back to work from maternity leave was plan days and weeks when I would take time off work. It was a necessary strategy for me to enjoy work and thrive. Planning time off work will help energize you. Great resources  When the world started shutting down in March 2020, no one imagined that we will still be in this state sixteen months later. With everything we have all experienced, we have many different feelings. Especially with things slowly reopening or going back to normal, we are facing new emotions, decisions, and thoughts. If you are excited and ready to go fantastic, and if you are like me and need more time to get used to the change, that is perfectly fine too.
In this blog post, I will share the things I am working through that are helping me adjust to the new normal. Hopefully, these will also help you on your journey. Acknowledge and accept how you are feeling No matter how you are feeling, it is ok to feel whatever you are feeling. It is normal to feel apprehensive or worried about the changes after living a different life for the past sixteen months. You might be experiencing mixed feelings, including excitement for some things and sadness for others. It is crucial to accept the way you are feeling and not judge yourself. Questions to consider
Ask yourself what you are concerned about If you feel concerned or worried, there are typically some underlying topics that you may not have explored. Identifying what exactly you are worried about is crucial. It will help you start working through it. I did some soul searching and realized that my main concerns were around adapting to a new post-pandemic life with our son. So many things that would have been easy to organize, such as childcare, are a little more complicated. Questions to consider
Identify what you do not want to change Over the past sixteen months, our lives have changed in many ways. We have reshaped our lives and started new routines. There might be some healthy and good things that you started doing over the past months that you want to continue. It is ok to hold on to those routines or new ways of living over the next months. For me, the quality time I spend with my husband and my son is now a major priority in my life, and I do not want to give it up. Questions to consider
Start thinking about the future and create "warm-up" plans There must be something that you have not done in a while that you are looking forward to. Just because you are anxious when you think about all the changes coming your way, it does not mean there are not a few things that excite you. Thinking about those exciting things that you want to do will help you prepare for the change ahead. They could be as simple as getting a pedicure or coffee with a friend. Questions to consider
Take care of yourself To thrive on the new journey ahead, you need to be physically and mentally healthy. If you feel like you need support with your mental health as you transition to your new normal, please get the help you need. Prioritize self-care and make sure you check in with yourself over the next months. You have got this! Questions to consider
MC's story This post is one that I am writing for myself as well. I have been struggling with thinking about the months ahead. As someone who likes to plan, I have been learning to do things a little differently. I am accepting the fact that there are still a lot of unknowns, and we will need to learn as we go. My approach to warming up towards our new normal is to take small steps. Over this past weekend, I got my first professional haircut since February 2020. It was one of my first steps back into the world. Time for Reflection What are you feeling? What are your top three fears or concerns? How are you going to make sure you are doing well through the transition?  I am continuing my celebration of 20 years living abroad with another part of my story, comparing the second year of my journey living in the US vs. life in Germany. Reflecting on my life in 2002 versus where I was in 2016, reminds me of how vastly different my life was. In this blog post, I will share the factors that made my experiences different and what I learned. Check out my other Her Relocation blog posts about my experiences living in Nigeria, Germany, and the US. Having a stable home One part of my journey that I never talk about is that I did not have a stable place to live in my second year in Germany due to some situations. I stayed on people's couches for about eight months. I am incredibly grateful to the people that gave me a place to live during those times. Interestingly, while I went through that experience, I did not think about it too much. I focused more on studying German and working as a babysitter to save up for my own place. Compared to my life in the US, I have been living in an amazing home since I moved here. The stability I had in my second year in the US, I would have wished I had in the early days of my life in Germany as well. What did I learn?
Politics influencing my life When I moved to the US in 2015, I had no idea how politics and the government will influence my life. The 2016 elections in the US affected me more than I would have ever expected. As an immigrant living in the US, I worried about the policies that will affect my stay here. Also, the rhetoric against immigrants made me wonder if I had made the right decision moving here. While I lived in Germany, I had the privilege of not worrying a lot about who was in government, as most of the policies were fair or did not negatively affect me. What did I learn?
Thoughts about my future Especially in year two in Germany, I felt slightly hopeless when I thought about the future. I found myself struggling to build a stable foundation and had no idea what my future in Germany would look like. I was naïve before I moved and expected things to fall into place quite quickly. I did not consider that I was moving to a country where I did not speak the language, knew nothing about the culture, and did not have a social network. When I moved to the US, I was more hopeful and had better prospects for my future. What did I learn?
Making Unexpected connections During my second year in Germany, I met people who supported me through difficult times on a train, bus, or at the station. These included the woman who gave me my first babysitting job and the people whose couches I slept on for a few months. It is strange when I think about the importance of the people I met at very unconventional places. Compared to when I moved to the US, I hardly made connections with people in that way. I had to go to professional and social events to meet new people. What did I learn?
Financial Stability When I moved to Germany, I did not have a financial plan or resources. I still remember the first time I got paid ten Euros for a babysitting job. Having a source of income meant freedom for me. I was now able to buy little things for myself and eventually move to my own place. Fast-forward to when I moved to the US; I was more financially stable. I had learned valuable financial lessons and promised myself that I would never rely on anyone financially. What did I learn?
MC's Moment of Reflection The first picture is of me in 2002 in Germany, and the other picture was in 2016. Although I am smiling in the picture from 2002, I was going through a lot of tumult in my life. It was taken a few weeks before I became displaced from the home where I was staying when I first moved to Germany. The 2016 picture shows me settled into my work routine in San Francisco. My state of mind in the two pictures was really different. In the latter, I had a solid foundation and was not worried about my future. Reflecting on these two years reminded me of how much my life is better now.  |
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