fo·cus
/ˈfōkəs/
noun
the center of interest or activity.
the state or quality of having or producing clear visual definition.
Focus has never been my thing, and I wasn’t more clear of that until recently… My entire childhood was wonderful! It truly was one to remember. But there were things that I struggled with, and even now, I think that I never really knew how to express that struggle to anyone. I never told anyone how I felt, although there were pretty clear symptoms, but I wish so much that I could go back and just ask for help!
Even though I struggled with undiagnosed symptoms of ADHD growing up, I wasn’t officially diagnosed with it until I was around 18 years old, just before I tried out that whole college thing. Knowing that it was going to be a struggle (because every other year of school prior to that was a struggle) I decided to get on some medicine to help with my symptoms. It was the best decision I ever made, and made my three years of interior design school so great! Until I quit and went to beauty school, but that’s another story…
ADHD or ADD to outsiders comes across as laziness, or “Oh, she’s just spacy.” Or my favorite, “She’d forget her head if it wasn’t attached!” Yep, you’re probably right about that, but besides the forgetfulness on the outside, there is so much struggle inside. There is anger, short temper, overwhelmingness, fear of failure 24/7, depression, anxiety, social awkwardness, feeling misunderstood, feeling like you’re head is going to explode, messiness, unorganization, and so much more… SO. MUCH. MORE.
Six years into this Motherhood Life of mine, and I haven’t been able to take any medication because I have, up until four months ago, been pregnant and nursing the ENTIRE time. And I know that I could’ve stopped sooner, but that was important to me and my babies, and putting me on the back burner was okay with me. But looking at it now, it really took a tole on my mental health, more than I admitted it did… The depression and anxiety at times were so bad! Anger, yelling, slamming doors, lets just say that I have thrown some full blown adult temper tantrums. But that wasn’t me, it was the ADHD. The mind being so full and overwhelmed that you don’t know how else to handle the stress…
I knew that something had to change… I knew from the last year or so, that getting rid of things in our home had helped me. But it wasn’t until a few months ago that I knew that I needed to make a HUGE change in my living space in order to make a huge change in my life. For me and for my family!
I needed to let go of all of the excess outside of my mind in order to try to gain control of the excess clutter inside of my mind!
Having less distraction in our living space actually makes us HAPPIER! It’s funny though, because shopping and buying new things makes us happy too, but only temporarily.
THIS is a change that is permanent!
But not without dedication. And not without maintenance…
I dove in full force that night that I tackled my closet! Getting rid of the “what if I need it’s” and getting rid of the things that I haven’t touched in years! Also getting rid of things that I didn’t LOVE! I kept what I needed, and I kept what made me happy. That’s it!
Minimalism isn’t about not having things, it’s about having what you NEED now, and also what makes you happy! At least that Is the definition of minimalism that I am choosing to live by…
I am a work in progress. My home is a work in progress. My marriage, kids, and family are a work in progress. My business is a work in progress. LIFE is just a work in progress! And until we realize that, we won’t be able to really start living our best lives!
Take each day as it comes, live it to the best you can, and just start living it INTENTIONALLY!
I’ve been asked often since I’ve started this journey, “Where do I start?”
My answer is simple: JUST START!
That is all I did that night lying on my bed scrolling though Facebook trying to forget about all of the mess in my mind and life. But I made a change by starting in that closet!
A change that is going to change my life and heal my mind.
I am so happy that you’re here with me on this journey! I hope that you’ll join me if you want to make a change, too!
Remember, JUST START. This is the first day of a better and more intentional Motherhood Life! And I couldn’t be more happy for you, mama!
Come join me in my FREE private Challenge group where we do weekly challenges, discuss topics around minimalism, and focus on a more intentional motherhood life! I can’t wait to see you there, click HERE to join!