Making Room Again
I finally did it. I cleaned out my basement. It’s been on my To-Do List forever. It’s where my seasonal decor is stored, and if I’m being really honest, I’ve made it through the 4th of July, the Birthday Season, and now Halloween while living in the chaos. My basement also houses my laundry room and, most significantly, my gym equipment. I managed to keep up with the laundry and the holiday decorations, but strength training, specifically … well, that just fell off.
It’s not like I haven’t done anything. I’ve leaned into yoga, walking, and an occasional cycle class with Alex Toussaint. Always Alex Toussaint. I thoroughly enjoyed my yoga binge. It was odd, though. As someone who used CrossFit for therapy during my divorce, this current crisis management looked very different. This time, I needed quieter, lighter movement. Life already felt heavy, and I didn’t have it in me to add more weight.
No one was more surprised than I was by my response to my life’s latest upheaval. I didn’t seek the distraction of loud music and clanging barbells. I didn’t push through my emotions and challenges with intensity and prove to myself that I could handle more weight, more reps, and more in general…
The crowded basement wasn’t my barrier to CrossFit. I’m in a CrossFit gym almost daily, coaching and training others, while my own desire to lift has been quiet. It was actually a little unsettling at first, ignoring my go-to therapy and something I identify so closely with, and even how others see me. I mean, some people have me in their contacts as CrossFit Candice. Not Candice Case, but CROSSFIT CANDICE. Like, who am I now????
I’ve been missing how my body feels with CrossFit and strength training. Inside and outside. And as I literally dusted and swept the cobwebs from my dumbbells and weight bench over the weekend, I decided I was ready to ease back into it. Of course, “ease back into it” was the original thought, and then I planned this full comeback with six days of training. Face palm. Will I ever learn?
I’m committing to three days and reminding myself that feeling ready for more doesn’t mean I have to do ALL of it. Apparently, I can give this advice to other people all day long. Applying it to myself? Still a work in progress.
Maybe you’ve barely touched the book on your nightstand, stopped writing, or lost the desire to cook something you used to enjoy making. You can pick it up again without accounting for every day you didn’t. Read a few pages. Write a paragraph. Make your favorite meal. See how it feels. You’re allowed to make room for it again without filling every available space. You’re also allowed to not feel guilty for your time away from it. The win is recognizing what you need and noticing when that need begins to change.
On our podcast, Girl, You Ain’t Crazy, Danielle and I often reference our seasons of life and how our needs change throughout them. Our subject matter changes, sometimes involving five or six side stories that are usually mildly entertaining, but always centered on topics that are relevant to being human and “normal.” This week’s episode is titled “Life Be Lifin’” because life has a way of messing up our well-laid plans. Life can even get in the way of routines we love. So if you found that to be true for you too, take a listen and know you’re in excellent company.
If you’re ready to make room for your own wellness again, I’d love to help. Through Wonder Wellness Coaching, we can work together on movement, nutrition, and routines that fit the life you’re living now. Reach out, and let’s find your starting point.
I still have plenty of uncertainty in front of me. But this weekend, I cleared some space and felt the urge to use it again. I’m looking forward to picking up my weights and seeing how it feels.
Three days. Somebody remind me I said three.
What have you been missing and what would making a little room for it look like?