Thank you Athleta for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
It took me 9 months. 9 of the longest, messiest months to get to this point. A point that I had no idea how I was going to get to, but I knew somehow I had to. The truth is what I thought everything I identified myself as was suddenly ripped away from me, I was forced to reevaluate my entire life, my worth, and the direction I wanted to go. My job was just gone one day and I was powerless. It wasn't until I had to face that fact alone (hello, you're laid off) I realized how I associated that job as who I was. That was the hardest part of loosing my job, that feeling of not knowing yourself. It wasn't the money part so much, but the time you're forced to slow down to get to know the person you are.
So much our lives revolves around our jobs, and my life was always go, go, go. I mean when you're working 9-5 there's little time to access much else. You're trying to be a good employee, come home to be a good girlfriend/wife/partner, and try to have a social life. But this sudden breakup (that's what it felt like) from my job left me with all the time in the world. That always sounded like a dream when I was working, but truly being alone all day long was initially scary. It took many months to embrace this new normal and go with it. To just not fight it and embrace it. Once I stopped resisting and trusting it would work out, I gained an inner peace that I have never known. The beauty of it is taking the time to slow things down I ended up gaining a new sense of self that isn't tied to a job status and that feeling of empowerment was self-created by ME.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by life, give yourself permission to slow down. You need it more than you know. You might feel it's counterproductive, but trust me it's not. It'll clear the fog.
While I'm grateful to be in a new season (aka new job), I know the foundation to stay empowered is by making myself a priority daily. Whether it's sitting down for 5 or 10 minutes with a book or meditation app, I do it. Some days, it's reaching for my yoga pants for a walk or a hike. That's why I've teamed up with Athleta because they value each woman's individuality and limitless potential. Not only do they understand the power of community (it does take a village), but are doing their part by making clothes from sustainable fibers. With a variety of collections, Athleta offers pieces that fit whatever lifestyle I choose (even work pants!).
How do you stay empowered?
