I’ve been feeling kind of down lately.  If I had to define it, I’d say I’m at 70% of myself. I’m assuming it has something (everything) to do with only being 3 months postpartum and being separated from Cora now that I’ve gone back to work.  I know it will take time. And I’m not sure how long it will take to get back to 100% Emily. In the meantime, I’ve put together a little list of goals/small projects.  I love projects – having something to work towards, always makes me feel happy. Because #thatsthespirit right?!

Beyond Yoga recently collaborated with Kate Spade on a really cute line of work out clothes. Since one of my goals is to work out/get active at least three times a week, I figured some some cute work out gear would help.

So here is my list of projects and little goals that I have set for myself – with no deadline to complete them.

1. Do something active at least three times a week, for at least 30 mins each day: yoga, barre, running, taking the dog for an extra long walk, squats while I’m wearing Cora…whatever I can squeeze into a busy day.
2. Wake up earlier: I’ve never really been a morning person, but having Cora gets me up earlier anyways.  I find that I can get so much more accomplished when I wake up early.  Even if I end up going to bed earlier haha.
3. Take the time to do nothing for at least ten minutes a day: I need to take the time to decompress a little…almost mediate I suppose.  Like taking my mid-morning coffee outside, without my phone, and listening to the birds for a bit before tackling more emails.
4. Peruse social media with purpose – not endlessly: I have a bad habit of stopping whatever it is that I’m doing to open up a social media app and scroll endlessly. Before I know it, I’ve spent 20 minutes doing BuzzFeed quizzes, reading political rants, and watching from above while someone makes churro ice cream cones…
5. Create more human connections – doing so virally is okay: I want to take the time to really connect with someone each day, someone at work, an Instagram friend, a friend from college who lives far away…triple points if I can get them to laugh.
6. Tackle one house project each week – these are certainly fun projects, but it feels overwhelming at times, so (at least) one per week makes it feel more manageable.
7. Keep up with Cora’s baby journal: because I have been BAD about this. I have been keeping up with a 10-year journal that I started right before Nick and I got married, and that has been fun to remember what happens each day through the years.
8. Drink more water: pretty self-explanatory
9. Be more romantic: because with a new baby, this seems to get shoved onto the back burner, and I think that is the last thing the relationship between two new parents needs.
10. For every negative thought – two positive: from time to time I find myself annoyed that I haven’t lost all the baby weight, or comparing myself to other women, or getting frustrated that my skin looks terrible and all my hair is falling out, post-Cora. It is impossible to stop these thoughts all-together, at least it is for me. But for every negative thought I have, I will think about two positive things…how good was the dinner that I made last night, how I didn’t cheat at all during my most recent barre class, that I’m grateful for how much weight I have lost, or how Cora has learned how to roll over on her own!!

XOXO – Em