I’m still trying to be in vacation mode. It was nice to get away for a bit and be out of the normal routine of life. But now I have to deal with the fact that I have to get back into a routine again.

Since I have been back home, I haven’t really wanted to get back to working on my goals and projects. I’ve not really had a lot of motivation. I made a to-do list for myself and didn’t knock anything off for two days.

And while I still have a lot to get done in my eyes, I’m starting to make some headway on my to-do list. Progress is slow going. I’m not a superhero who can get everything done in one day. My suitcase is still sitting waiting to be unpacked. The dishes are still in the sink from the weekend. I stopped tracking food while I was on vacation because I wanted to be able to actively enjoy myself.

But now, I’m trying to get back on track. I was doing well with my goals and projects before vacation, and I know I can get back to that point. A huge factor of letting myself get back to a place where I feel good and comfortable is giving myself that kindness and grace that I’ve mentioned before. Vacation took a lot out of me, and that’s okay. I’m taking small steps and doing things that I know I can handle. Unpacking still seems a little daunting right now, but I tracked food again today. I can’t stress how important that grace is in the whole process. Life doesn’t have to return to normal right away. I’m still going after my goals and projects. I’m still capable of crossing items off my to-do list each and every day. While I may find that things are still off track, I know I am working to put them back in order.

In addition to being able to give myself grace over the situation, I also work to handle the tasks and ventures that I can handle at a given time. I have a couple of time-based events on my list this week, and I am fitting everything else around them.

The way I see it, it’s as if a hurricane or tornado blew through my life. And I don’t mean that to be dramatic. It doesn’t take a day to clean up after some kind of fallout. A building doesn’t get rebuilt right away. In the same way, I’m not going back to having everything in order in a day either. It takes both time and intentional effort.

When you’re knocked down, it can be hard to start again. You feel like you might have made all that progress for nothing. But I can assure you that it was for something. You learned lessons, picked up tips along the way, and are now more experienced to endure whatever may come. There’s not really a timeline to starting again. Sometimes, you just need to be in a down spot. Grief is very real. But what matters is that you do start again. Maybe in a different way, or maybe even something different overall. Starting again is hard sometimes, and everyone’s journey is different. But I believe that you truly fail if you don’t start again. Everyone’s life is different. The steps I take will probably not be the steps you take. Something that we all have in common though is that we will all face setbacks at some stage in life.

I know that sometimes it may be easier to give up. I know that starting again is hard. Trust me, I get it. This is something I struggle with myself. I got home late Thursday night from vacation, and it took until at least Monday to get back into going towards my goals. It was easy to relax and not have to do those things. It’s much harder to get going. However, I need to remind myself of the goals I’m working towards. I can give myself grace and recognize I don’t have to do everything at once. I can take that time before starting again because I know I will start again. I may be knocked down; I am not out. A big lesson I’ve learned this year is letting things take the time they need. Most of my goals for the year are by the end of the year. Life happens. Problems happen. Setbacks happen. I am working on getting into a better place for myself by continuing to start again when I am down. I can continue, and I hope you can too. You can always start again. It’s not too late.

Whatever challenge you’ve experienced, whatever sets you back, just know you can get back up. You can continue. You’re not weak, stupid, or a failure. I’m rooting for you. I’ve been there. Sometimes, I think I’m still there. Life can be hard. I’m rooting for you. It’s never to late to start again.