Last week was all about having fun, celebrating my friendships, and breaking outside my routines. Since March, I put myself on a pretty steady schedule. The schedule goes like this:

-Wake up
-Make coffee
-Journal
-Meditate
-Read
-Work out
-Shower + get ready + breakfast
-Client calls and work
-Lunch somewhere in here
-Outdoor walks
-Dinner and TV at night

Quite frankly, I love this schedule. It really works for me…until it doesn’t. I recognize it doesn’t work when I start getting this stagnant energy in me. No new ideas are coming, the motivation to create is nowhere to be found, and I start to feel drained by the activities that usually fuel me.

Younger me would have doubled down harder on my routine. I would have gotten more strict, put more pressure on myself to work out harder, made my morning routine more elaborate, given myself more tasks. My recent approach, however, is to do the opposite. I try my best to just let go.

On a standard week, that letting go looks like not doing my morning routine and instead, enjoying coffee with Zach while we chat. It looks like not working out or finding an entirely new-to-me workout to try at home. It means buying foods I haven’t tried in a while.

Last week, however, was a very extravagant version of letting go. For months, my friends and I had our one big trip of the year planned for two of our friends’ birthdays (September 9 and September 11 babies, respectively). When I tell you we all talked about this every single day for months leading up to it, I’m not exaggerating.

The trip ended up being one of the best girls’ trips I’ve ever been on. In part, I think that’s because of the nature of the vacation (birthdays! Palm Springs! pool! friends! rose!). But another part of why I think it was so wonderful was because we all needed a big dose of joy. Being two hours away from home and in a house together allowed us all a chance to truly disconnect from the outside world and connect with one another. That connection feeds female friendships so deeply, and I don’t think there’s nearly enough conversation around evolving, changing, growing, flourishing friendships.

After a few days of pure fun, celebration, and getting outside my usual routine, I feel more inspired than ever to continue to explore my creativity, grow my coaching business, embrace the routines that I love, and nourish my relationships.

Also, as a reminder to you, you deserve to give yourself a slice of joy every single day. As Sophia Roe wrote in a recent Instagram post, “In a time where we are inundated with consistent trauma, sorrow, struggles, and stress finding time for JOY, while often seen as an act of resistance, is also categorically NON-NEGOTIABLE. There is no trauma Olympics, after which we are rewarded for who can tolerate traumatic experiences best. Our ancestors would be devastated if they knew that all we made time for, was sadness.” My intention for myself and for you this week is to find that slice of joy where you can.

Hope you all have a beautiful week ahead!

Ciao for now,
Kailey

Best Feeling of the Week is a part of a new series where I share the overall feeling of my last week and what my intention is for the following week. This is included in the weekly Best Feeling Forever newsletter.