Skip to main content

Choosing Yourself on a Tuesday Morning: A Gentle Reminder That You Matter Too

 Good Morning, Lovely Human.

The kettle hums quietly in the background. Maybe you're cradling a cup of something warm, it could be coffee, lemoney-rooibos, or hot chocolate if you're like me. Maybe you’re scrolling between tasks, baby on your hip or deadlines staring you down. Wherever this finds you, this Tuesday morning, I hope you know: it’s okay to choose yourself.

That phrase, "choose yourself," gets thrown around a lot. Sometimes it's wrapped in glossy self-care aesthetics (candles, spa days, yoga poses at golden hour). But choosing yourself isn’t always that curated. Sometimes, it's quietly radical. Sometimes, it's saying no when you’re expected to say yes. Sometimes, it’s whispering “I’m tired” instead of pushing through.

Choosing Yourself Isn’t Selfish—It’s Sacred

Maybe you’re a mom who hasn’t heard your own thoughts uninterrupted in days. Maybe you’re navigating singlehood and wondering if your worth is tied to your relationship status. Maybe you’re married and feeling invisible beneath the weight of roles: wife, partner, fixer, doer.

Whoever you are, whatever version of life you’re living right now-this is your permission slip:


You are allowed to center yourself.
You are allowed to pause.
You are allowed to matter, too.

What Choosing Yourself Might Look Like Today

Let’s strip it down. Choosing yourself today might look like:

  • Turning your phone on Do Not Disturb for 30 minutes while you breathe and just be.

  • Making a proper breakfast instead of grabbing the crusts off your toddler’s toast.

  • Saying no to the invitation you don’t have the energy to show up for.

  • Journaling. Praying. Stretching. Walking.

  • Admitting to yourself that you're not okay - and deciding to do something gentle about it.

It's Not All-Or-Nothing

Choosing yourself doesn’t mean abandoning your responsibilities or your people. It’s not a rebellion. It’s a reclamation.

When you remember your own name and refill your own cup, you become more grounded and whole. And from that place, you can pour into others without resentment.

And yes, the world will try to convince you otherwise. That you're only as valuable as you are useful. That your exhaustion is a badge of honor. That being "strong" means being everything for everyone.

But strength, real strength, includes rest. Boundaries. Breath. Stillness. Choosing you.

A Tuesday Morning Reminder for Your Soul

So as you move through this morning, here’s what I hope you remember:

  • You are not too much for needing a break.

  • You are not behind. You are building.

  • You are not selfish for protecting your peace.

  • You are not alone, even if it feels like it.

Whatever life is asking of you right now, ask something of yourself too: What do I need in this moment to feel more like myself?
Answer honestly. Then honor it.

Even if it’s just five minutes. Even if it’s just this blog post and a quiet nod that says, “Yes. Me too.”

You deserve the same love you so freely give.

And maybe today is the day you start giving it.

Love, 

T💕

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Running on Fumes & Hope: A Mom’s Guide to Surviving the Busiest Week Ever

  At this point, I don’t even know how I’m still alive. It’s been one of those weeks—the kind that makes you question if time is real or if we’ve all just been living the same chaotic Monday on repeat. The clock just struck midnight on Friday morning and I'm not too sure whether to call it a night or aluta-continua? Both my kids are sick (because why wouldn’t they time their immune system meltdowns perfectly?), I have deadlines flying at me every 48 hours like heat-seeking missiles, and my daily classes are a blur of words that I think are English but might actually be gibberish at this point. My brain? Completely unresponsive. My body? Moving purely out of muscle memory. My spirit? Somewhere hovering over my body, watching the madness unfold like a reality show. The Art of Mom Survival Each morning, I wake up with a pep talk that sounds something like: You got this. You are strong. You are capable. And by 10 AM, I’m bargaining with the universe: Okay but what if I just lie d...

Balancing Motherhood and Career: Lessons from a Civil Engineer Mom

  Hey, lovely soul! 🌸 Welcome to my first post on The In-Betweens ! I thought there’d be no better way to kick things off than by diving into something that’s at the very heart of my life—balancing motherhood and career. If you’re anything like me, you know this balancing act feels more like a daily juggling show, with no shortage of dropped balls. But somehow, we keep it all in the air, right? For those of you meeting me for the first time, I’m Tshenolo—a mom to two little ones, a wife, and a civil engineer. Though I haven’t worked in the field since August 2022, I’ve transitioned to part-time lecturing, which means I spend most of my days at home. This shift came from a strong urge to be more available for my family while still staying connected to my passion for teaching and engineering. Between managing toddler tantrums, lecturing, and trying to sneak in some creativity through podcasting and video creation, I’ve learned a few things about how to keep my sanity intact while na...

The Art of Not Losing Your ****** Mind

If there were an award for surviving an impossibly hectic week without completely spiraling, I’d like to think I’d be in the running—barely, but still. Between academia, a five-month-old deciding that sleep is an optional luxury, and life demanding I show up in all the ways, I have had to pull from reserves I did not know existed. Academia in Overdrive: The Balancing Act Last week was academic chaos. Between in-person lectures, assignments, tests and trying to wrap my head around coursework that refuses to be simple, I found myself drowning in readings and deadlines while also attempting to function as a sane human being. Spoiler: The sane part? Questionable. There were moments when I stared blankly at my laptop screen, willing it to magically complete my work for me. And when that didn’t happen (because, obviously), I had to power through—often with a baby strapped to my chest because, of course, he decided this was the perfect time to stage a sleep rebellion. Sleep Regression: Th...