Sunday Supper for the Week of 1/24/21

What have you been up to this weekend? I managed to wear myself out a good bit – which is why this post is “Sunday Supper” instead of “Sunday Brunch.”

For us, as usual, it hasn’t been a whole lot – though we did do the very first thing we’ve done since March 2020 that wasn’t 100% necessarily. My Girl Scout and I attended a council event, but they are taking a bunch of precautions and have been taking the pandemic very seriously. We went for only half the day, and I was happy with the precautions that were being taken and the fact that everyone was taking it very seriously.

We started out the day by saying “hello” to one of the campground kitties, which helped Miss 7 with her social anxiety a good bit. She was feeling quite nervous being around kiddos again – even though it was a small group. The day was filled with lots of fun crafts and activities – and we made it about halfway through before my little gal just couldn’t hang anymore and the excitement caught up with her. Yup, she had no sooner finished making a pretty cool snowman snowball launcher than she laid down and a few minutes later, zam, she was asleep. So, we went home about five hours early.

It’s a good thing we wound up leaving early – I am TIRED! We likely won’t do anything like this again for at least a couple weeks, but it was very good for us to get out. Neither of us have been fairing well mental-health-wise for the past month or so with the level of distancing our family has been practicing.

Speaking of mental health, this week’s roundups are focused on just that.

(*This post contains some affiliate links. Should you choose to purchase by clicking on a link, I will receive a small percentage of that sale.)

Emotional Exhaustion and Self-Care

Alia E. Dastagir’s article in USA Today, “That feeling you can’t name? It’s called emotional exhaustion,” allowed me to pinpoint that weird feeling of malaise combined with hitting a wall and sliding down it and name it. Even if you haven’t been touched personally by COVID-19 the way my family has, it’s very likely that after a year of news-reporting on the pandemic and 10 months of COVID-19 precautions, you’re feeling some kind of way as well.

I’ve found that having a daily practice of meditation has helped during this time. I’ve really liked the YouTube guided meditation videos by Live The Life You Love. They are uplifting, and Jessica’s voice is quite soothing. She has a post on her blog, How to Meditate – a Beginner’s Guide that helps one get started.

Meditation is just one thing I’ve been doing that’s “just for me.” It’s important to practice self-care when dealing with emotional exhaustion – and to prevent further emotional exhaustion. Cari Nazeer’s tip, “A Cure for Your emotional exhaustion” is to find something that is just for you and put it on your calendar.

If you need ideas (like sometimes I do) for what that “just for you” activity could be, Latham Thomas’s “These 7 Steps Will Help You Create a Self-Care Plan That Sticks” and Elizabeth Scott’s “5 Self-Care Practices for Every Area of Your Life” are a good place to start.

woman girl animal dog — Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Where to Find Cute Face Masks

Face masks have become a part of our accessories closet for the foreseeable future. I’ve seen so many cute ones, that it’s hard to choose which are my favorite. They’re definitely necessary though for if you have to work outside of the home, run errands, or even take a minute for mental health to do something that is distanced and masked with others.

The mask my little gal wore yesterday was from Girl Scouts. It’s reversible, so one side is a Caticorn and the other side is Girl Scouts Cookies.

Here are a few of my favorites for adults:

Metallic Floral Face Mask – $12.99
from: Perpetual Kid

Butterfly Pattern Face Mask – $11.00
from: Goodie Two Sleeves

Emily Hsu Together Face Mask – $18.00
from: Evolve Fit Wear

Facial Sheet Masks for Self Care

As part of my self-care routine, I’ve dubbed Sundays “Self-Care Sundays.” I always try to do something special for myself, and I really have taken a liking to sheet masks. They’re easy to use – and they smell fantastic while your face is getting some much-needed winter hydration.