Small Victory Saturday

 

When you have depression/ anxiety just getting out of bed in the morning and surviving another day is a check in the win column.What many consider simple tasks can prove insurmountable, and the inability to conquer these tasks can lead to further depression/ anxiety- creating a vicious cycle. When you're depressed/ anxious and also the primary caretaker of a child, things get a little more complicated. Not only do you have to wake up in the mornings, but you also have to care for the child as best you can. And the guilt associated with trying to raise a child while you yourself struggle with mental health issues is tremendous.

I learned long ago that it's not just ok, but important to celebrate the small victories in life. To take one day at a time, accomplish what you can and move on to the next day. That's why I decided to take a day every week to reflect on my small victories here- so that I can remind myself of what I have accomplished, and show others that it's ok to not be able to do it all.

So here goes:

- I wrote out and have almost finished my feature on Antenatal/ Post-Partum depression. It's been a difficult thing to share but I'm glad I have.

- I finished a particularly time consuming craft for my friend's baby shower. It was a true labor of love and I'm very excited to give it to her.

- I got R to dance class both days this week! My mom had to drive us yesterday but that's only because my car hasn't been working.

- I finally got down all the Christmas decorations in the living room (I like to have them down before the New Year but having everyone hit with the flu pushed that to the back-burner) and cleaned/ re-arranged it. I added two new pieces to the mantle that I really like and will post pictures of soon. I still need to put the Christmas decorations back in their boxes but I'm waiting for N to get the boxes out of the crawl space.

 

- I cleaned off my vanity and put all my makeup back. I make such a mess every time I get ready (which thankfully isn't every day) and sometimes the mess multiplies on itself until it's totally out of control.

- I cleaned my office, and cleaned it "Lauren style" which means every surface got scrubbed and every item got put back very precisely in it's very precise place. ;)

- I'm working on cleaning out the nursery today. And laundry too! Hopefully I haven't been premature in placing them in my victory column.

- R is happy, healthy (thankfully she's feeling better!) and never lacks for attention. And that is all that really matters. :)