It is painful trying to see the silver lining in this stay-at-home order. With Disney movies blaring in the background, baseballs and basketballs flying directly at my forehead, and the constant growing number of tabs opening in my mind about the unknown that is now in everyone’s future is enough for me to scream.

But as with everything in life, it’s all about perception.

I am someone who needs silence to work efficiently. Silence is no longer a given, but a luxury only to be found in the wee hours of the morning or late hours at night — times that do not fare well with my internal clock, but times that I now must force to work with me instead of against me.

We are being challenged to work with the limited resources we have — our homes, our immediate outside environment, the Internet and our roommates. The question is, how do we use our resources to our advantage, instead of complaining things are not in our favor?

Yesterday I went on a 2-hour nature hike with my husband and son. The weather was perfect. When we got back into our car, I felt a calming sort of energy — a feeling I haven’t felt in awhile.

And it got me thinking…

We all have different things — I like to call them non-negotiables — that we need in order to function properly and feel happy. Those, for me, are strong coffee, vigorous workouts, the completion of at least one work task, and the reading of self-improvement books. Without those non-negotiables inhaled daily, I am on edge. Bitchy, moody and perhaps on the verge of an uncalled-for freakout when I don’t have my routine fix of self-care.

However, when all of those non-negotiables are met, I feel like I can breathe. I’m content. Happy even. I’m happy to teach my son how to sound words out, instead of rushing through it so I can get back to my computer. I’m happy to sit down with a glass of wine to read instead of feeling guilty for doing it.

What are your unique standards of fulfillment? Explore them, identify them, and give in to them. Nothing around you — kids, house, work, relationships, etc. — can function without you — and you can’t function with the you that makes you feel 100 percent you.

Be you.

XOXO,

Ashley

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