Back-to-School Wellness Planning for Busy Moms
1. Reset Your Schedule
Summers are great for embracing the moment, making memories, and letting the days fly by, but what they sometimes aren’t great at is consistency. Now that school schedules are back and things are feeling back to normal again, it’s a great time to reassess what is working for you and your family and what isn’t.
If you want to start getting up a little earlier in the morning to give yourself some time before the kids wake up, or get yourself back into a bedtime schedule that helps you get a good night’s rest, now is a great time to do that. On the other hand, if your summers have created a nightly routine of a glass of wine and Netflix but you’d like to have time workout, it might be a great time to swap the wine for water and grab a workout DVD before bed.
Ultimately, you get to decide what your fall schedule looks like, so take some time to think about the things you want to work into your daily schedule, and make some adjustments to fit those things in.
As a tip- If you want to get back to the gym after a summer off, gyms will usually release a new fall class schedule, and they might even add in some fun classes you haven’t tried yet, so it’s a great time to look at the schedule and try a new weekly class or two.
Lastly, make sure you put it in the calendar and write out your new plan. I personally know that if something isn’t on my calendar, it won’t happen, so this time of year is perfect for me to power up on my intentional scheduling for the week.
2. Spend Some Time Journaling
Whether it’s journaling or meditation, it’s the perfect time to slow down and reflect on how the year has gone so far and what you want the rest of the year to look like for you and your family. Envisioning the upcoming months can be a powerful tool for setting yourself up for success, so go ahead and jot a few things down.
Research shows that journaling has several different health benefits. According to an article in PsychCentral, journaling for 20 minutes a day can help you reduce stress and clear your head to allow you to better understand yourself and what you need to feel your best.
I find journaling is especially helpful so I can look back on my past journals and see all that I wanted to accomplish, all that I did accomplish, and those things I wrote down and I now read it and think, “what on earth was I thinking?!”. Sometimes it makes me feel good about the year, and sometimes it’s more entertaining. ha.
3. Create a “Seasonal Resolution”
I’m a big fan of setting “seasonal resolutions” over annual resolutions, because they tend to be more realistic and you’re more likely to stick to it because the end isn’t too far from sight. (Plus, if you make a resolution to get to the gym more this season, you won’t have to fight the crowd! Bonus!)
If you were to set a resolution for yourself from now until the end of the year, what would it look like? Did you have a resolution at the beginning of the year that’s fallen off?
Why wait to start it up again until January when you can start getting back on track now? Whether you’re looking to drink more water, find ways to reduce screen time, or get your finances and monthly budget back in order, this is a great time to set that goal and make a plan for success!
4. Get Organized for the Season Switch
Spring is always the common time to think about cleaning out the closets, but I love making time for a seasonal clean out during the fall as well. All of those summer clothes that no longer fit the kiddos can go straight to your favorite donation spot so you don’t even have to think of them come spring time! How nice would that feel?
Fall Clean Out Tip- I love to do a quick overhaul of a space by grabbing a big plastic storage container, go through a room and throw anything in the container that belongs in another room, needs to be donated, or thrown away. Talk about an instant makeover! I always feel so energized when a room gets a sudden clean out.
Then, I take the box into another room and go through it, so I’m not tempted to dump everything back in the same room. Bam! It’s like a 5-minute room makeover.
Our house is tiny, so it also means we have to store away clothes by the season. So, this is also a good time for me to get all the winter “stuff” pulled out from the back of the closet so that it’s at least available when our Minnesota weather takes a crazy nose dive into freeze-town.
5. Recommit to Taking Care of Yourself
Chances are, with all the fun kid activities and vacations that go along with summer, taking care of yourself and your needs might have taken a back seat. Now is the perfect time to recommit to yourself and your health. Maybe you need to get back into a regular schedule with your chiropractor, or you’re overdue for an eye exam, or physical.
Now is a great time to think about the things you need to do to take care of yourself. Think about 1-2 things you could start doing this week (or stop doing), that will help you feel your best.
If this feels overwhelming to you, a wellness coach can help you assess your current lifestyle and work with you to create easily achievable goals from now through the end of the year.
Wellness is an Ongoing Journey
Whether you had an amazing schedule that fell apart this summer, or you’re deciding to make some changes for the first time, the key is knowing that just like each season changes, so will your personal wellness plan. Some activities and scheduling might have worked great for you last fall, but if it’s not working for you anymore, that’s okay.
Spending time to reflect and assess where you are and where you want to be will go a long ways in feeling your best as a mom and the amazing person you are!
What other things do you do for yourself when school is back in session? Comment below and let me know – are you excited for school to start again? Or, are you overwhelmed with the impending packed schedule?
