When I think back to 2018, it’s hard for me to remember what I did to take care of myself. I was so in the trenches of motherhood and marriage that I seldom sought traditional self-care. I wasn’t one to take lavish vacations with girlfriends, meditate or do yoga on a daily basis, or spend days at a spa. That said, I’ve always had a regular exercise practice. Since I ran on a track team back in 1987, I’ve gone to the gym and lifted weights, done cardio circuits, and sweated through core conditioning. Even when my family was falling apart, I hauled by butt into the gym and sweated at least four times a week.

Back in 2018, while my mom was battling a fatal neurodegenerative disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, my husband started chemotherapy for stage 4 lymphoma. We had two young sons, 14 and 12, and the older one had serious behavioral issues that had to be addressed in a therapeutic boarding school. I already had a very full plate.