The Struggle is real, hold onto small pockets of joy
Self-care is important
Hello there,
It’s been a minute. How have you been? I miss writing to you.
Alhamdulillah. I am fine. I am glad that I can say that confidently. Not because I don’t have any worries. If there was one thing I learnt from this year’s Ramadan, it would be to trust Allah. To trust that He’s got me. So yes, I am fine. What about you? What was your main takeaway from Ramadan? Are you being consistent with the good habits as suggested by Safiyyah?
Today, I want to go easy on you. I want to drop my ever-judging side-eye and connect with you, heart to heart. The past few weeks have been heavy for me. With a lot going on around the world, it’s not easy to block out the negative energy. But that’s what I try to do, day and night. I know how important it is to be in a good mental state and how the information and gist we consume affect us subconsciously. Following what happened in 2020, when this year started, the first thing I worked on was my boundaries. I let go of some things just because I no longer had the energy.
How have you been holding up? I want to know. What has self-care looked like for you these days? I’ve tried a lot of self-care tactics. From doing brutal work to get the things I want; to splashing skincare products all over my face and body on Sundays; to crying my eyes out to release stress; to trying out different flavours of ice cream every Friday. One thing about self-care is that it looks different at each state and stage of life. So allow yourself the things you need and can afford, Allow yourself rest if that’s what you need right now. Allow yourself that expensive bag if you can afford it. Allow yourself work extremely hard if that’s what you need to feel like yourself again.
Photo by Sincerely Media on UnsplashPhoto by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
Our bodies and souls communicate. We just need to be ready to listen. A whole lot is going on right now and it’s easy to dwell in the negativity. I am here to nudge you to hold on to the things that spark joy in you. Hold on to people who make you feel seen. Hold on to memories of these people when they are not near. Slow down when you catch yourself happy. Enjoy the moment and document it if you can.
As you go into the new week, I pray you experience pure joy and true happiness. I hope you hold on to small pockets of joy here and there. I hope you know that the One who created you is always with you. He will take care of you.
PS: I find this dhikr by Omar Hisham affirming. You can check it out.
As-Sallam Alaykum Warahmatullah.
With love,
Umaynah