For me, my signal is when I start to feel exhausted by mid-afternoon. It’s usually caused by a beautiful mixture of not sleeping well (or enough), and putting my body into overdrive to get things done. It’s my signal to press “pause”, take a deep breathe, and allow myself to recover and get back on the right track before things get ugly. 

What would happen if the next time you started to feel run-down, exhausted, or burned out, you allowed yourself to recover before pushing forward? 

How might your end result for that work project, that big meet you’re running, or the relationships around you be positively impacted by preventing yourself from reaching over-exhaustion and burnout?

The first step is allowing yourself the awareness to notice the things that have gone missing in your life and are critical to feeling your best. 

The Top 5 Things to Do To Get Back to “Normal” When Life Feels Hectic

Take Inventory

You don’t know what you don’t know, right? As moms, we’re really good at putting blinders on and “powering through” to get things done at the expense of our own health and well-being.

Getting back to normal means taking some time to think about what’s changed. 

Over the next few days, as yourself what’s different than before. 

• What did you use to do that helped you feel energized and refreshed? 
• Have you been skipping the gym? 
• Have you been eating out more lately? 
• Has a glass of wine every few nights turned into a glass of wine (or two) every night? 

As you’re observing the things that are different, remember that it’s not about criticizing yourself or beating yourself up about it. It’s simply an observation you’re making for things that have changed. 

Once you’ve determined all the things that are off, choose 1 thing to focus on in the next week to work back into your daily lifestyle.

Reset Your Sleep Schedule

When I have a lot going on, it’s easy for me to push things off and say, “I’ll do that once the kids are in bed”. 

But, what would really happen if I told myself, “that’s not a priority for today and I’ll look into it tomorrow”? 

Probably nothing at all. 

There’s always going to be more things to do on the list. So, instead of stressing out about all the things that need to be done, give yourself permission to get a full 8 hours of sleep so you can be that much for energized and productive the next day. 

Also, it might take a few days or a week of solid sleep to start feeling like yourself again, so don’t get discouraged if one night of good sleep doesn’t seem to do the trick. 

Move Your Body (even if it’s just 10 minutes)

When life gets hectic, it seems like the first thing that gets thrown out is getting a workout in.

If your schedule is packed and you don’t have time to get an entire official workout in, plan to go for a walk outside during your next break. Or, follow a time management method that gives your small breaks in between work, and use that time to move your body. 

Studies show that getting up to move your body can make a huge impact on how you feel, your focus, and so much more. 

Check Your Meal Routine

If evening schedules have gotten crazy and there hasn’t been time to plan ahead for meals lately and going out to eat seems to be the quick fix for an over-packed schedule, what is one thing you could do to reset your food routine? 

Maybe it’s trying to eat a serving of veggies with each meal, or drinking more water throughout your day. 

I’m guessing if you stopped and thought about it for a second, you could name one thing you could work on in the next week when it comes to your nutrition. 

When I start feeling drained, chances are really good that I can make a better effort in my nutrition through the week, and as soon as I set the intention to eat a little better, I feel a lot better. 

Make Self-care Time Non-negotiable (A.K.A Self-preservation)

Whoever made society believe that self-care is a luxury was lying. 

I KNOW as moms we hear it all the time… Self-care isn’t selfish, it’s necessary. (insert sarcastic eye-roll here)

It’s the latest buzz phrase for moms these days when it comes to wellness. But it’s all for good reason. 

Self-care isn’t about getting a massage or being self-indulgent. Self-care is all about self-preservation and making your well-being a priority so you can be at your best as a mom and a career woman and all the other hats you wear in your life. (See note above about moms being really good at putting blinders on and “powering through”.)

As moms, we HAVE to schedule this into our day otherwise it just won’t happen. 

There is so much I could say about self-care and its importance especially for moms, but one thing that gets me every time is this –  

Think about your child when they are a parent someday. They are learning from you and they will likely adopt whatever behaviors you show them when they become an adult. 

So, do you want them to feel the way you’re feeling and just figure out how to “power through” while being burned out and miserable? 

Or, do you want to set a standard for them and teach them what self-preservation looks like, so when they are adults, they know exactly how to do the same for themselves? 

Just think about how this whole world could be changed if people started making self-preservation an essential piece of their life like breathing is… it’s powerful stuff if you think about it. 

Take one small step today to get back to feeling your best

It can be so easy to fall into a spiral of overwhelm and want to take on a million changes at once. It’s actually one of the most common challenges my clients come to me about in the beginning.

They want to eat healthier, train for a marathon, start enjoying their career again, find their purpose in life, and maybe write a book if there’s time. 

All joking aside, the first thing we do together if choose one small thing for the next week and forget about the rest. 

What would happen if you did the same for yourself and just chose one small adjustment that would help you reset and feel like you’re back to your “normal” self again? 

If you need some help getting started, or you’ve been feeling out of your “normal” for a while and you’re not even sure what to do, a wellness coach can be a great resource to work with to help you create some clarity around the small steps you could take to start feeling like your best self-again.

Schedule a quick 15-minute breakthrough call so we can talk about your specific situation and challenges and help you get started to being the high-functioning mom you know you can be.