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I understand being busy, and I know what it’s like to never have time for yourself, but last month I learned a really big lesson about what happens when you don’t listen to your body, and I don’t want that to happen to you, so let’s talk about self care for a minute, and how the Samsung Galaxy S8 can help you build self care into your routine so you don’t wind up with some mandatory self care in the form getting sick.

That’s not fun. Me-time should be fun!

I have a super embarrassing confession. I’ve been on my mom’s cell phone plan since before Kyle and I got married. I KNOW, RIGHT?! Super embarrassing. Kyle and I had different cell phone carriers and I didn’t want to leave the sweet deal I thought I was getting by being on my mom’s plan. Things just never lined up when my contract was up either, so I just kept doing the thing – you know, 36 year old woman on her mom’s phone plan.

Don’t judge, man! I pay my own part of the bill! And my 16 year old son’s part too. It’s not like I’m leeching, OK?

I recently found out about the Samsung Galaxy S8 and my mind immediately went to a place of “I need this thing” for SO many reasons. 1. Samsung phones are notorious for getting better battery life than my current phone. 2. We live at the beach and sand + water + cell phone is usually a recipe for complete and utter disaster.

My fate was sealed and the phone was mine.

We’re an active family and sometimes it just isn’t feasible to carry my Passion Planner around with me all the time. I go from car pick up to gymnastics or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or Soccer nearly every day of the week, and that’s all in addition to my own workload between several different jobs, and all the different bills I have to pay – on time – lest my water get cut off (again). Ssshhh! Stop judging!

I’m also active in CrossFit, Yoga, and am finally getting my paddleboard in the water so I’ve been looking for a phone that can withstand the sand, sun, and a little water so that I can document my life for posterity’s sake. The 12MP camera on the SG8 is DOPE and the pictures it takes are crystal clear. Dare I say they rival the pictures taken on my Canon DSLR? Maybe that’s just because I don’t know how to use it, but these pictures are beautiful.

The water resistance really spoke to me, too. It can handle splashes with an IP68 water resistant rating it can also resist an accidental dunk. I’m not going to go swimming with it any time soon because I like it too much, but at least I know it’s safe when Grady comes over and drips his soggy head into my lap after a dip in the ocean or one of our beautiful coastal dune lakes.

ALL that to say, where’s the “me time”? Moms are so bad about building time for themselves into their super busy schedules, so I’ve got some tips on how you can center your life when things get stressful, and they all revolve around paying respect to and showing kindness to you.

Here are my tips on how to build me-time into your already super busy schedule:

• First, sit down and reflect on what it means to make yourself happy. It’s different for every person, and at different seasons of your own life, it might change. Take a piece of paper or a journal and write down five things you love to do that make you happy.

• Look at each of those five things objectively. How difficult is it to get to each one? For instance: I love snow skiing, but I live in Florida, so that isn’t something I could do on a regular basis, but paddleboarding is, it just takes some serious planning. Rate the things from “not easy” to “easy”. Just because an item falls on the spectrum closest to “not easy” doesn’t mean it isn’t feasible.
• Look at your own personal schedule and commit to a time where you could do two or three of those things each month.
• Hone in on gaps in your schedule where you could fill with time to honor your body and your place in this world. For instance, could you sit in the car and listen to a meditation during one of your children’s activities? Is this something you could do each morning before you get out of bed? Where can you build small things into your schedule that will lead to a richer, more fulfilled life?

• Add those things into the calendar on your phone. Make each thing set an alarm to remind you to do that self-care item. Don’t leave them in your paper planner. Make sure you set alarms that will remind you to do these things. The calendar on the GS8 is easy to use and perfect for this application.
• Don’t ignore your alarms and don’t come up with excuses not to do them. You are important and you deserve time to honor your place in this world.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Features:

• The world’s first Infinity Screen- The Galaxy S8 expansive display stretches from edge to edge, giving you the most amount of screen in the least amount of space.

• Galaxy S8+ is even more expansive—biggest screen yet.

• Water Resistance- A phone that can handle a splash. With an IP68 water resistant rating, the Dream can resist a splash or accidental dunk.

• Fast Wireless Charging- A charger that won’t slow you down. With fast wireless charging, you can power up without having to plug in. Charger is sold separately.

• Micro SD Card- A phone with room to grow. Expand your storage up to 256GB with a microSD card that makes room for the things that matter most. MicroSD card sold separately.

• What is Unlocked?

  • Unlocked by Samsung lets you pick more than just your new smartphone. You can choose your carrier, data plan, services, features and apps, so you can get your phone exactly the way you want it ¹

• Pick your carrier and plan

  • Unlocked by Samsung smartphones work on multiple U.S. networks, so you have the freedom to pick a carrier and plan that fits your life. When you’re ready for an adventure, Unlocked by Samsung makes it easy – just pop in a compatible SIM card and take your device anywhere, from Mexico City to Paris and more.²

• Standard Limited Warranty

  • Unlocked by Samsung guarantees your new smartphone lives up to the exceptional standards you expect from Samsung. You’ll also get extra peace of mind because all Unlocked by Samsung smartphones come with a standard U.S. limited warranty.³

•            Fewer preloaded Apps