As you begin your Summer holidays, do you feel a sense of energy and excitement … or dread in the pit of your stomach? Are you pretty organised with childcare, work and with your holidays booked … or clambering for your diary now desperately trying to punctuate work with kids’ clubs and activities?
Wherever you’re at now (and I have to fess up that I’m in a bit of both camps at the moment) remember it’s not too late to get on track. Pause for a moment and ask yourself ‘what do I want to be saying to myself as we're scooting out the door again for school in September?’
Once you’ve pinpointed what you want to be saying, think about how you want to be feeling and I imagine that isn’t burnout! Then work out what simple things are going to contribute to this.
Here are a few tips to help you along the way:
Manage your expectations
Self-care and compassion really come into their own during this intensive 6 weeks! If you’re placing unreasonable expectations on yourself and maybe even the kids, you’re probably going to finish feeling let down and disappointed. If you see yourself as a perfectionist, hang up your hat for now and recognise when good is good enough whether that applies to the state of the house, the easy tea or the report you’re working on. So manage your expectations and accept that some days will be tough and the S**T may hit the fan but others will be something special.
Take a back seat
What! Really! How? What I mean by this is avoid the temptation to manage or even micro-manage the kids time. Whilst we’re really fortunate to have a whole host of kids’ activities, sporting and otherwise to take advantage of, diaries booked to full capacity don’t allow for that chilled, downtime that the kids need too! We know all too well when we just need to kick back and immerse ourselves in some good old escapism whether that be a book or Netflix. So rather than holding on tightly and controlling, allow the kids to be bored, to entertain themselves and to be creative sometimes. Allow siblings to play together and even to squabble a little 😉.
Get help
Don’t leave it until you’re about to hit the floor before sending out an SOS message! What can you delegate and who can you ask for support? Maybe, you can get some temporary help with the cleaning or ironing if you don’t have it already, arrange time with Grandparents or if family aren’t close-by then play date swaps with other parents. If you’re averse at asking for or accepting help when offered, it’s helpful to recognise this in yourself and to challenge yourself to do just this. You’ll see the dividends and doing it again next time will be just that little easier so flex that muscle…
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and a lot of us will at some point then share this with friends, family, colleagues. This is an absolutely debilitating state and is the way our brain is processing life/work demands and is not life per se. Hop into my closed Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecareerchangemasterclass, where, you’ll see my Live on this very subject. Give yourself permission to be vulnerable, to share and to learn. Lots of working mums will be feeling very much the same and may just appreciate the chat!
Rest & Relaxation
Okay so you may not get a good quality 8 hours sleep ever night but without placing too much pressure on yourself, plan for a few early nights. Sleep is the cornerstone to our health and wellbeing impacting our energy, stress, hormones, eating habits and even our ability to regulate our emotions, which will be required when the kids are squabbling or diving into the snack cupboard (as mine are doing now 😂).
Introduce simple bedtime rituals, which encourage you to mono task and slowly wind down from the day. This might be something as simple as enjoying a camomile tea or having a nice skincare routine.
Look at your weekly planner and as you would schedule work and family time, commit to putting some R&R in just for you.
Exercise
It really doesn’t matter too much what it is, just go for something that is do-able. It might be with the kids some days or it might be on your own - walking (we’re enjoying this with our puppy), yoga, swimming… The important thing is to nurture yourself so you can put your best foot forward both personally and professionally.
So whether you’re planning a staycation or something further afield, working in the office or at home … breathe, keep perspective and enjoy these precious moments 😊.
DM me for a free 30-minute clarity call if you want help mapping out what you want both for yourself now and as you look to the future personally or professionally.