One of the toughest things for me to experience was coming home and no longer having a career. Initially, I was excited because I was in a complete phase of exhaustion. Working in the social services sector was honestly tough work. It is mentally and emotionally draining and there’s never enough time to complete all of the paperwork. So with that in mind, I was thrilled that I was going to get a chance to be a full-time mommy to at least one of my children. Leaving my kids at daycare was never an issue for me because I enjoyed my adult time and being able to have time alone, but I always had a guilt that I was offering people that weren’t in my immediate family some of the best parts of me and I had nothing left when I would get home at the end of the day. My transition was complicated even more with relocating from South Carolina to Texas. There was no family and no support system in place. It truthfully was one of the scariest moments in my life. I struggled initially because I had a 4 week old, 4 year old, and 6 year old that all needed me and I was a complete mess. I was experiencing some postpartum symptoms (this could have possibly been linked to my Vitamin D deficiency) and my body was in extreme pain due to the side effects of the Vitamin D issues. Now that the smoke has cleared and I’ve regained myself emotionally, mentally, and physically I recognize where things really went awry. During the transition, I felt like I “lost” myself. I found identity in my career and helping others, in my friendships/relationships, and various other things. When I moved it was almost as if I lost all of that overnight. One of the most important things I was able to discover was that I was never designed to find my identity in anything connected to me outside of the Creator. While I won’t attempt to get too deep into religion, a thing can never work at its optimal capacity without the user having an understanding of its original purpose. For example if you’ve ever used an eating utensil to try and recovery a stuck object, sometimes it can become misshapen. It was never intended to be used for anything other than eating. Find your purpose. Once you really know what you’re supposed to be doing in the Earth, it makes it so much easier to form your identity from that. Being at home has afforded me the time and opportunity to evaluate my purpose and identity. I’m able to know see that I must actively engage in things that align with my purpose to avoid becoming overwhelmed and burned out. Take time to learn and grow the person you look at in the mirror each day. Reflect and make the necessary changes to ensure that you’re offering yourself and your family the best version of you.