My Weekend of Rest & Relaxation

Every year, my family ends the summer with a trip up north to the Tetons to see our family, get outdoors, and have one last hurrah. This year, at the last minute, I decided not to go.

The Honest Truth About This Summer

If you're reading this and you're a stay-at-home mom, working mom, working-from-home mom, or anything in between, you know how hard summer can be. Although wonderful, I often feel stretched too thin.

Between soccer carpool, camps, vacations, snack requests, hosting company, and the mental load of trying to be present on top of running a business, it became too much. My to-do list just keeps growing at a rate that I cannot keep up with. The overwhelm has been too much. I haven't been the wife, mom, or friend I want to be because I feel like I'm about to burst at any second.

The thought of packing up for a trip was literally crippling.

So two nights before we were set to hit the road, I asked my husband, "Would you be ok if I just stayed home?" and he said, "Of course." Now, I should note that my husband is the most supportive guy on the planet, and I'm very lucky to have such a great guy to lean on when things get tough. He packed the family off - took off first thing Thursday morning and said "Have fun!!"

What 3.5 Days Alone Actually Looked Like

I thought I was going to pass out from happiness.

In 3.5 short days, I...

• worked uninterrupted

• batched content

• binged The Five-Star weekend on Peacock

• played Mahjong with friends

• finished a needlepoint project

• napped

• cleaned my entire house (even the floors!!)

• read

Funny enough, one of the books I read was actually called My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh (be warned, it's a very contemporary type of book). But it's literally about a woman who tries to sleep for a year. Sign me up.

The Guilt Never Came

I kept expecting the guilt and FOMO to set in, but it never came. Instead, I felt completely relieved. I knew that by doing this for myself, my family would come home to a happier, more level-headed, and positive mom. And that's exactly what happened!

I share about living slower, enjoying the small things in life, but sometimes I need to remember to practice what I preach.

I realize what a gift it is to be able to 1 - plan vacations and 2 - have the option to say no and take care of myself. But I think just starting to say "no" in situations that aren't serving us (literally just a dinner party you don't want to go to) is the start of truly taking care of ourselves.

Here's to saying "no",

Michelle

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Michelle Johnson is the owner and founder of Slow Burn Marketing Co. A boutique Utah-based marketing agency that helps other female-owned and operated businesses create beautiful websites that also work behind the scenes to get you found on the internet. Schedule a complimentary consultation to learn more about Slow Burn Marketing Co.'s services.

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