soulcare Archives - Soul Mind Body Selfcare

How do we embrace what really matters?

Such a simple but loaded question, right? It’s a question that has eternal repercussions, but also one we tend to brush aside for the immediate. The little fires. The thing [maybe all the things?] screaming for our attention all day long. It’s hard to hear anything else.

I’m hoping that deciding where to let go [week 1] and choosing to practice gratitude daily [week 2] helped pave a path through those little fires and quieted some of the things screaming for our attention. Even just a little.

Which brings us to week 3, this final week of the #soulmindbodyselfcare Reset, where we focus on embracing what really matters. I came across this verse last week and thought it would be fitting to share here:

Whoever wants to embrace life
    and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
    Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
    run after peace for all you’re worth. 1 Peter 3:10 MSG

Back to the original question: how do we embrace what really matters? There is no right or wrong way, but here is one way you can do it. And it takes just two steps:

Step One: Spend some time determining what matters most in this season. Close the door, quiet all the voices, take out pen + paper and write them down. What is truly most important? Right now, right where you are?

Step Two: Decide on specific action steps to embrace those things. Perhaps one action step per thing? Or maybe you need to break down each action step into baby steps. Whatever works. Whatever allows you to take action, to take that first step.

One thing that matters most for me in this season is spending quality time with my kiddos. I spend all day with them, but I really want to s l o w down and focus in and memorize how they are right now. Because it’s all going by way too fast. And there will be plenty of time later for all.the.things. but the days I have with my kiddos won’t last forever (even if sometimes it feels like they will, ha).

So, one action step I’m taking to embrace this “important thing” is to read more with my kids. To put other things on a hold for a bit and sit down and read books. To bring out the Jesus Storybook Bible at breakfast and spend some time reading + discussing what we learn [they’re little brains are so smart! we have awesome conversations]. This is a great opportunity for me to invite them into my arms, into my space and spend quality time with them.

Thank you so much for joining me for this Reset! I’ve enjoyed it so much. It’s stretched me and grown me in a good way, as I hope it’s done for you.

And it doesn’t have to stop there! Every new day is a chance for a reset. A re-fresh, re-charge, re-commitment to what really matters.

Leave a comment if you have any questions for me! I’m here. You can catch me over on Instagram and if you’d like a little jumpstart to your self-care journey, grab my Top 10 Self-Care Tips here for free.

Until next time!

Let’s care for ourselves,

Hannah

My little family + I recently made our annual trek to the beach. My husband + I were married at a little spot called Inlet Beach, FL and we love going back every year. It’s been so neat to watch our family grow + make consistent memories there.

Our week away gave me time to think + pray and while I did one thought kept pressing itself on my heart:

Let go of everything that isn’t important so that you can fully embrace everything that is.

This thought wasn’t born from a rock-your-world event. No, this thought was born from packing our suitcase (of all things!). We decided this year we were going to pack as light as possible and only take one suitcase for the five of us. And, you know what, we did it. We used almost everything we brought and had no need to purchase anything we left behind.

And I couldn’t shake the thought that we successfully fit our whole life in one suitcase. All the dozens of scenarios I’ve come up with in the past (got to bring that in case this happens, etc) didn’t happen + even if they had, there was a Walmart right down the road. You guys, I wore one pair of flip flops the entire week + I was fine. Imagine that. Ha.

Not only was I fine, I was great! From our travel days, to finding items I needed, to keeping the suitcase organized, everything was easier, lighter, freer. Truly. I couldn’t believe how good it felt to keep things so simple, to let go of everything I hadn’t needed all those other times, and to embrace what was really important.

And it made me think: what kind of baggage am I carrying around? Physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally? In all the ways? That’s totally unnecessary + that’s keeping me from living life to the fullest?

All of this has inspired me to spend the month of July focusing on letting go of anything and everything that I don’t need or love in my life.

A month of subtracting, not adding.

Simplifying.

Stripping away.

Paring down.

A mid-year reset, if you will. A re-set, re-fresh, re-charge, re-commitment to what really matters.

Here are the 7 ways I’m letting go of what’s not important this month:

I am spending 15 minutes a day practicing mindfulness, prayer and gratitude. I’ll go into more details about this on Instagram, but essentially, I will spend a couple of minutes tuning in, about 10 minutes praying [this is when I will be praying daily for the Lord to show me everything I need to let go of] and a couple of minutes naming all of the things I’m grateful for.

I am not spending money on anything unnecessary. This month is about subtracting, not adding. This means I’m going to buy food to eat + diapers for my 15 month old + gas for the car, etc, but I’m not going to throw random items in my Amazon cart or get sucked into buying clothes I don’t need via email marketing (more on that next) or buy anything really that I can make, re-use or do without. More on this over on the gram, too.

I am unsubscribing from anything I don’t need. This means emails that are selling me something or that I don’t even remember signing up for (anyone else?!). This means any subscriptions to anything that don’t align with my priorities.

I am letting go of guilt. Guilt I’ve carried for far too long. Guilt over what I’m eating or not eating, what I’m doing or not doing, where I’m going or not going, how I’m mothering or not mothering. Self-imposed or not, it’s paralyzing and I’m done with it. Guilt has muddied the water for far too long – I want to see + think clearly.

I am going through the entire house (including the garage) item by item + letting go of anything I don’t need or love. I’m also hoping to find some things we can sell for some extra cash to put towards a few of our savings goals. Side note: my husband likes when I organize his stuff, but I never give anything away without his permission. Also, I will be enlisting the kiddos’ input when I go through their stuff as always. But everything else better watch out, ha.

I am getting back to basics with my self-care. Travel can really throw you off, even as hard as I tried to stay in routine and on plan. It always takes a lot more flexibility and winging it than being at home where I have so much more control. So, I’m getting back on my elimination diet (mostly, more on that later), back to our s l o w homebody routines, back to solid nap and bed times, back to my self-care rhythms.

I am going back to my Tuesday + Thursday only Instagram days. This helps me cut way down on my phone usage. So I’m going to take that extra time and spend it reading (I’ll be sharing my current reads soon), writing (currently finishing up the draft of my book on self-care), moving (I’ll be sharing how I exercise with littles soon) and resting (lots of slow mornings, laying out in the sunshine while the kiddos play, detox baths and early bed times).

Are you ready to join me in this mid-year Reset?

Here are several ways you can:

1.) Check in here on the blog for the next three weeks. I’ll be sharing each week’s prompts as we go along. Here is the one for this week:

Answer this question: What do I need to let go of? Then write down the specific ways you’re going to let go. I encourage you to get super personal + practical with this step.

2.) Come follow me on Instagram! I post on Tuesdays + Thursdays and recently started using IGTV. Lots of good, encouraging content over there.

3.) Sign up for my email list and get each prompt in your inbox bright + early on Mondays. You’ll also received my Top 10 Self-Care Tips PDF for FREE just for signing up.

That’s it for now. I’ll be back next week with a post on our second week focus: specific ways to practice gratitude.

Let’s take care of ourselves,

Hannah