I quit my skincare routine

...and all is good!

Assalamu alaykum dear friend,

Alhamdulillah I’ve had mostly clear skin all my life. Well, I did have a rough patch after my three pregnancies, and I have the regular once a month breakouts.

Apart from that my skin has been good, alhamdulillah.

A few months ago, things went a little crazy.

I don’t know if I was reacting to something, or if I was just super stressed… but my face did not look good at all. I started to feel embarrased at a point. It was bad!

I tried for a few months to “take good care of my skin”. I was dedicated and I respected my morning/evening routine.

But nothing changed. Instead, things got worse.

So I got some new highly recommended products (of course) to try to fix the damage, but that made it even worse!

At that point I was exhausted, and so I quit.

I used nothing at all. No cleansers. No moisturizers. No sunscreen…

Just water, lol.

(In hindsight, I think that gave my skin time to breathe/reset).

Anyway, I slowly started adding one gentle product at a time!

It turns out the routine that worked for me years had stopped working. I had to take many steps back and go back to basics.

The best part is, I now have (almost) clear skin again, yay!! 😅

You may be wondering why I’m telling you about my skincare, lol. And no, it’s not a topic I care about like that. I’m telling you about it because…

The Letters from Maryam ‘routine’ is changing too!

You may have noticed I’ve been MIA in your inbox for the past three weeks.

Our usual Tuesday Letters are going to slow down a bit. Not disappear (don’t panic 😁 I see you, dear friend), just slow down.

Full transparency is my capacity to show up weekly has reduced significantly. So this is my attempt to take a step back and go freestyle instead.

I haven’t figured out exactly what things will look like yet, or how long this slow(er) pace will last, but what I do know is I’m still here for you, by Allah’s will.

Still sharing stories. Still sending doses of positivity. Still doing life right beside you.

Because we’re still friends, right?! 🥹

I’m still going to send you Letters, Voice Notes, and even YouTube videos inshaAllah. Just more freestyle, ‘it will come when it comes’ type, inshaAllah.

My next Letter (& Voice Note) is already in the works and I think you’ll love it, especially if you’ve been curious about how to apply the 12-week du’a system on your own, or if you’ve joined me for any of the 12WDC cohorts.

I’m also thinking (keyword: thinking 😅) about hosting quarterly planning sessions, a cozy Zoom chit-chat style meetup where we get together every three months to brainstorm our focus area(s), action items, and du’a list for the next quarter, inshaAllah.

The idea is to not just have a plan, but to also have structure around what your weeks, days, and even mornings would look like.

Would you be interested? Sometime after Ramadan? Let me know!

And please remember me in du’a, ok?

Let me try to answer some questions you may have…

1. Why are you slowing down? Are you okay?

Yes, alhamdulillah! I’m very well and feeling very grateful these days 😁 It’s just a capacity thing. I mentioned my family moved halfway across the world again 😅 and my hands are quite full (in a good way).

2. What about the travel and homeschool updates you were going to share?

Homeschool updates might be sprinkled into whatever I do share, but travel updates as a standalone thing…? Maybe Not. I was already on the fence about it, if you remember, but I’ve decided to let it go 😄 I may still share bits of our journey where it matters inshaAllah.

3. What about the 12WDC?

I’m considering making recordings from a past cohort available for purchase/sign up. If not, maybe we’ll do another live cohort around October. I don’t know yet. Let’s see, inshaAllah.

4. What are you up to outside of Sisters Flourish?

For now, I’m focusing a lot more on family life and on being intentional with how I show up at home for myself, my husband, and my Littles… and even my community. This is what’s taking up the most space on my mind and in my hands these days, and I am beyond grateful I get to do this.

I’m also trying hard to give my Ramadan Prep more and more time on my calendar and in my actions. Ramadan prep is something I really need to be intentional about. Again, I’m beyond grateful I get to do this.

There’s so much more going on (including planning for Sisters Flourish’s slower pace hehe, an exciting project I’m working on called Nour & Ink, Islamic Studies classes, and and and…)

It’s just… I find that I struggle to give my best when there’s multiple “priorities”, and so I’m trying to honour my need for slower where I can. InshaAllah.

Ok, over to you now!

Hit reply (or the ‘comment’ button) and tell me how you’ve been! What’s taking up space on your mind/heart and in your hands these days? Any routines you’re quitting or starting? (Or slowing down?)

Let me know, ok? I respond to every email I receive, and I loveeee hearing from you!

Catch up super soon, inshaAllah!

Love + Du’a,
Maryam