What I learned the hard way - Back to School Edition
Confession.
I thought I was ready for the ‘back to school’ seasonal transition last week.
I wasn’t.
And it hit me hard. Lots of overwhelm–and, this is hard to admit, some lashing out at my loved ones.
Here’s where things went wrong: I didn’t shift proactively into my grounding tools before the transition week happened. I slacked off - which is fine - rest and space are crucial. But, I wasn’t actually resting. I was avoiding and self-sabotaging, not giving time and attention to the practices that make me feel grounded and centered.
I’m sharing this in case it can help one other person reading this make some small nudges now, today, in order to avoid an overing spiral like I had last week.
I’ve learned what really works for me are practices that are sustainable and not extreme. That last part is critical because as a fellow over-er (hello, there!) I have had times in my life where I either become militant about my routines - tracking food and exercise, for example - and being all around rigid with my boundaries. I’ve also let the pendulum swing to no boundaries with my routines and anything goes, which means everything healthy goes and all the old habits default back, leaving me feeling icky and now having to befriend my good ol’ guilt gremlin.
With my clients, I talk about this as the common ALL OR NOTHING mindset that so many over-ers get into. It’s the “If I can’t have it perfect like XYZ, then I won’t at all” and you then end up sabotaging your motivation (see my last posts about procrastination) and your goals or intentions.
I have daily, weekly, and monthly preferred practices that keep me grounded. Sometimes with clients, I’ll refer to these as my ‘gold standard’ meaning these are what I aim for (and add to my schedule), but I understand that daily modern life of parenting, working, living, etc. doesn’t always allow me to live my gold standard. This gives me the flexibility to make shifts when things happen or I need rest over movement.
Here are my preferred, gold-standard practices.
Daily:
morning pages journaling
regular sleep schedule
regular healthy food prep
weekday workout routine
Weekly:
bike rides beyond commuting
longer dog walks
Monthly
hiking
Camping at least one night
Do you know what your gold standard practices are? Are they on your calendar?
(Or does the thought of trying to figure out where they would even fit on your calendar make you want to give up before you even start?)
While we are still technically in summer, we have already begun the transition toward autumn with the fall equinox on September 23rd. This transition time is often marked by "Back to School" - whether you are back or not. It is a marked shift in our collective calendars towards learning, growth, and creating.
During this transition time, it’s even more important that you have practices that support you – and time to actually do those things. If you need support during this transition, check out my latest workshop.
During the workshop, you’ll learn:
What you’re tolerating and what else might be possible.
How to weed out those annoyances and frustrations to prevent the overwhelm
How to rebalance your schedule and life that allows you to step into your bigger impact.
Grounding practices you can use in your everyday life
You’ll leave better equipped to navigate this season of transitions. Grab a copy.