The second quarter of 2024 taught me the power of self-awareness. From managing the chaos of parenting to making meaningful decisions and prioritizing my mental health, these months challenged me to dig deeper into who I am and what I value. It was a season of recognizing my own resilience, trusting my instincts, and seeking the clarity I needed to move forward.
April: Resilience and consistency keep working parents going.
By this point in the year, I’d been back at work for nearly three months, and my kids still weren’t sleeping through the night. Sleepless nights are part of parenting, but months of running on 2-4 hours of sleep had me questioning my sanity. After my birthday in March, I bragged to coworkers about the full night of sleep I finally got, thanks to Evan taking the babies downstairs. Some didn’t get why I was so excited, but it was life-changing—my first uninterrupted sleep since the third trimester.
Even though we’re getting better sleep now, we’ve learned that a strong routine is the key to keeping our family on track. We have to get up, get going, and keep going until the last kid is in bed and we’ve managed the basics for ourselves, like eating dinner and stealing a moment of time together. There’s no time to waste, and consistency makes it all possible. Looking back, I’m amazed at the stamina it took to function during those harder months, but I’m proud of the resilience and discipline that have carried us through.
May: Quick Doesn’t Mean Thoughtless
At the end of April, I surprised myself by getting a tattoo of the Tiffany lamp that sat in my grandparents’ home. Normally, I’m a planner who deliberates over every decision, but when I saw a similar design online, I knew instantly it was what I wanted. I booked the artist on the spot.
In May, as I reflected on that moment, I realized the decision wasn’t impulsive—it was deeply aligned. I’d been thinking about honoring my grandparents for years, and when the right design appeared, I acted. This experience taught me that acting quickly doesn’t mean acting thoughtlessly. It means trusting yourself when everything falls into place.
June: Therapy is cool.
This year, I found a therapist who I really connected with—someone who has been helping me process the birth trauma and anxiety I’ve been carrying. At one point, I took a step back and said to myself, “I’ve gone through an overwhelming amount of change in the last year, and I don’t think I’m handling it as well as I could be.” I knew I was doing the best I could, but it’s impossible to gain perspective when you’re in the deep end.
Therapy has been an immeasurably helpful tool for me. It’s given me space to untangle the emotions I’d been pushing aside and to better understand myself in this new phase of life. Sometimes, the hardest part is admitting that you need help—but when you find the right person to guide you through it, the relief and clarity are undeniable. Therapy really is cool.
Closing Thoughts: Embracing Self-Awareness
This quarter was a reminder that self-awareness isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential. Whether it’s recognizing your resilience as a parent, trusting your instincts when a decision feels right, or seeking professional help to process life’s challenges, the ability to connect with yourself makes all the difference. These months taught me to trust myself more deeply and to prioritize clarity, even when the path forward isn’t easy.
Stay tuned for lessons learned in Q3, where discomfort and growth took center stage. Each quarter brought its own unique challenges, but with every step, I moved closer to becoming the best version of myself.
DEEP ROOTS | FULL BLOOM 