taking a break

Somehow without meaning to, I've taken August off from writing. It's been a long month (that's not even over) and I've been so busy the whole time. I was working a lot for the first two weeks with a bunch of appointments. I spent an evening at the Taylor Swift concert (which was so much fun). I went off for a week of vacation with my family, which is one of my favorite times of the year. I had time last week to write if I wanted, but instead I decided to stay offline (for the most part) and be present with the people I love. Then this week back at work has been hectic and crazy too as I try to catch up on getting things sorted after being gone a week.

On top of that, I've been absolutely exhausted. My mental health has been all over the place, both good and bad, and it's started to take it's toll on me. Plus, my sleeping habits always get askew when I've been away, so returning to a normal schedule this past week was really hard. I haven't been succeeding. I've been working on new coping strategies to deal with my anxiety thanks to my new therapist. So far it's been helping a bit, but right now I need to be focusing on having good strategies for dealing with my anxiety, (of which I have none!!!)

Lastly, I'm getting surgery next week. I'm having the screws taken out of my ankle because they cause too much pain for me. I'm nervous about it, but I know it's the right thing to do. It means I'll be off my foot again for awhile and I'll have to recover from another surgery, but hopefully it'll be worth it. I'm hoping it leads to my ankle finally starting to feel like normal again.

Here's me on vacation, makeup and hair styling free, sitting on our boat, living my best life. I'd much rather be there than at my desk right now, but I'm grateful for the time I had for a family vacation.