As with anything in life that can bring an unexpected amount of stress, I like to take life breaks. When TTC, the constant reminder of your journey, watching others become parents, or even celebrating holidays like Mother’s & Father’s Day can be triggering for some. A long time ago, I realized the type of individual I wanted to be. I never liked stressful situations and I’m not a fan of conflict or turmoil. Which, I am sure, reading this, most people could relate. You would be surprised, there are some who thrive in stress mode. I’m not sure how they do it, I just know that isn’t the life for me.

During this break away from blogging, I of course continued to work, as bills are due monthly. I work in healthcare full-time, and I own a tutoring company. So, I continued to provide service, but the beginning of summer provided an opportunity for a break also. I love what I do, in both areas of employment; I really enjoy helping people. When I was younger, I always knew I was meant to help but wasn’t sure in what capacity it would be. I watched both my mother and grandmother’s health decline and was sure the health field was for me. Although caring for others comes naturally, I did not intend to become of a clinical role. I suppose it felt too close to home.

Anyone who is in healthcare knows the mental and physical strains. I currently work in Hospice and Palliative Care, which caters to the quality of end-of-life care and pain/symptom management. Sometimes helping others can be a wonderful distraction from your own life. When I am helping others, I am not thinking of myself or my wants, desires, fears, etc. I am being a vessel of encouragement for others during times when they may need it the most. I get the same rewarding feeling when tutoring. When parents give feedback on how well their child is doing, that is what keeps me going. I love self-expression and learn to fall in love with words at a very young age, thanks to my mama bear. Oh, the places the mind could go.

While working full time and running a business, I am still a wife, daughter in law, sister, friend, niece, cousin, aunt, dog-mom, etc. My husband and I spoke recently of how wearing so many hats and navigating between roles can become overwhelming at times. To second my original sentiment, your body, mind, and soul, all need a break!

To assist with some of the stress, we took a trip to my hometown Miami, FL. This trip was very much needed. My husband is an entrepreneur and owns multiple businesses. We both needed the getaway equally. For me, it was extremely important since we live so far away from my family. I see them maybe, once a year. I always feel like I’m missing out on big events. My family is my rock! It was great spending time with my aunts and cousins. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. From celebrating my aunt’s birthday, brunch, quick date nights, to winery visits with my loved ones, we were very relaxed.

The second part of our trip was a bit more active as we were celebrating my friend’s 30^th birthday that ended with a surprise engagement. It felt great to be around friends, not thinking of the million things on our to-do lists. The goal for the getaway was to leave the stress and worry back home in NC. Although my husband works in an industry that seems to work 24/7, he did really well with creating balance and not allowing work to interrupt the peace. We left that trip of course wanting more. It wasn’t more vacation time, or fancy dinner dates that we wanted, but more togetherness.  I love watching my husband work because he is a Boss and goes into beast mode. That is sexy! However, I also love to see him less stressed and smile more often.

It is my goal to create more moments like this in life. I find that when you are happy, you have less time to be stressed. We both know that life is full of ups and downs, but we also know there is importance of choosing oneself over things that can tear us down or distract us from our goal, which is growing together but most importantly individually.

P.S. this means taking a break from social media also (It’s tough but it can be done. I will speak more on the 7 year hiatus I took at another time.)