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You know how you can reset some electronics by unfolding one side of a paperclip and sticking the point of it into a very tiny hole?

I kind of wish we could that as humans.

I mean, don't get me wrong. I am one staple through the thumb or a rusty nail scratch on the shin away from doctors telling me that they don't have enough tetanus vaccine to fix me.

(Seriously. I've cut myself on a lot of things, and I'm far too working class to go to the doctor when I need to.)

So, like, please don't read this and assume that I'm jamming pointy paperclips in my ears. I am not doing that.

But I wish it was that easy.

Anecdotally speaking, I think a lot of folks are struggling right now. The friends I've spoken with and the accounts I follow on social--everyone seems to be just a little burnt out or tired or struggling to catch up.

I was there until this past week.

And I wish I could say it was a super simple hard reset that got me where I needed to be. It most definitely wasn't. Zero paperclips involved, friends.

Instead, it's been the really tough self-care that's done the trick.

Please know that when I say self-care, I'm never talking about bubble baths or sleeping in. Ever.

Yes, there is a time and a place for those things, and I think they can be an important part of self-care. But if that's your only self-care plan, it's not going to do anything for you.

The hard self-care will do wonders though. Waking up at the same time every single day, moving your body regularly (call it working out or whatever you want), eating foods that you generally reviled as a kid, cutting way back on caffeine and drinking more water--all those things are where the hard reset is.

And after moving at the beginning of August, it was so hard for me to get back into a routine. Or, honestly, to create a good routine.

Before the move, I had hit a point where the old routine wasn't working, I was burnt out, and I couldn't get a project done to save my life. But now that the majority of boxes are unpacked (except the 3 that are still in the garage that will probably sit there until the end of forever) and we have a couch and a fridge again, I felt that I could get back into my routine.

So I'm waking up at 5:30 AM again. I'm working out first thing, drinking 32 ounces of water before I even brew a pot of coffee, and doing morning pages before I sit down at my desk.

I'm not saying this to brag or to shame anyone. I'm saying this as someone who has struggled with doing the basic things that keep me healthy both mentally and physically. I know what it's like to have that little voice in your head that says you should just sleep in. I know what that voice is like when it says that you're spending too much time on stuff that isn't your actual job. Wouldn't it just be easier to sleep in and then sit down at your computer first thing after you wake up?

Maybe.

But it's not easy to do work when you feel like shit all the time.

Anyway. Maybe this resonates with you. Maybe it doesn't.

But if it does, know that you have to be louder than the voice in your brain that tells you that there's not time for that morning routine. You gotta ignore that voice that says sleeping in will make you feel better than working out. You gotta make yourself chug that water instead of caffeine.

It's hard. But it's worth it.

And because autumn is upon us, I wanted to share a feeling that I've had every fall since I was a kid.

There's a smell in the air that I associate with fall, and with an energy renewal. It's like a little rebirth as the plants die and we hunker down for the colder months.

So, if you've ever felt this way as September rolls in, it's time for your reset. Only, just remember the reset is a work in progress and it means that you're working on that reset every damn day.

That's why self-care is so damn hard, gang.

And if you've made it this far, thank you! For your diligence, I shall be posting a little teaser image right here as a treat...

You like that? You can check out a sneak peek of one of the stories over on Kathryn Trattner's website.

Coming soon, friends! Just in time for spooky season. 🎃

Thanks for letting me invade your inbox! 

Marisa 

MarisaMohi.com

📚 Ex Libris is out now!