Trying to Start This Again

It's been a looong while since I tried my hand at blogging, and while I really did enjoy it, I just let it fall to the wayside as other things took up my time - mommying, work, family stuff, church... there's always been a lot on my plate, and I've never really been so great at prioritizing things I need for myself.  But, I'm going through a VERY difficult time at the moment (which I'm not going to discuss here, at least not yet), with lots of anxiety and emotional struggling, and both my therapist and my counselor have suggested journaling as a way of organizing my thoughts and expressing my emotions, as well as a self-care activity.  And, as she likes to remind me, I have to remember to take care of myself before I can take care of my family, so I'm going to give it another try

I'm also trying to make room in my life for other self-care activities, including crafting and exercising.  I love all types of crafting, including quilting / sewing, knitting, embroidery & cross-stitch, etc... but I swear, y'all, crocheting helps the anxiety like nothing else!  The stitch counting, the repetitive motion, the enjoyment, and the pride of the finished product all help to distract me & keep me calm when my anxiety levels start to rise.  Being a mom to 2 boys limits my "me time," but I find myself working at least a couple rows every night after I put them to bed, and it's so relaxing & a relief to get my mind off my worries.

I have the same limitation when it comes to exercising: I would love to be able to hit the gym everyday after work, but I have to pick the boys up from day-care, do dinner & bedtime routine, and of course, be there for them the rest of the night.  So, I really need to motivate myself to work out at home, or whenever the opportunity should arise (for example, ask my mom to listen to the monitor & squeeze in a lap around the neighborhood once the boys are asleep).  Anything is better than what I'm doing now - I have a bad tendency to "eat my feelings," and I've definitely been doing that WAY too much as I work through this current situation.  I'm hoping I can get myself to exercise my stress away instead of snacking when it hits...

I know this is a completely random time to make a resolution, start a new routine, or whatever you want to call it.  But, with the way I'm feeling lately, I figure anything is better than where I'm currently stuck.