If you’re not new to these parts, you know that one thing I hate is being busy. In fact, in 2015 my word of the year was just that: #BanBusy.
That said, life isn’t always as free as we want it be, and I knew full well I’d be in a busy season right about now. For months, during the calm before the storm, my husband and I talked about how we knew this was coming.
And it has. Oh it has.
There’s been travel, visitors, sickness, a quick vacation to some glaciers, and a big work project about to launch (wait for my big announcement next week!) that have been keeping me burning the midnight oil (and by midnight I mean 8 pm, but that’s just me). I don’t love it, but I also don’t shun it. Busy seasons happen. The important thing is trying to remember how to handle them.
Here are a few things I’ve been doing this month that have kept me on a more even kilter than not. I’m not perfect at them, but I am doing well, and more than anything it’s the fact I’m doing well that is making me feel even better than ever (positive reinforcement, anyone?).
Here they are:
- Sleep. Oh hey, sleep is important DID YOU KNOW? Given that I probably need more sleep than you do, you might not know just as dearly as I do. But I do. Oh I do. I spend about 10-11 hours a day in bed, with the goal of my Fitbit saying I slept 9.5 hours. It’s hard, but worth it.
- Meditation. In the past year, I’ve actually…(drumroll please)…learned to meditate! I’ve been saying for years that I would, and I even tried to do so more than a few half-hearted times. In 2015, though, it finally clicked. I’m doing it about twice a day these days and have seen great improvements in terms of my feelings of calm and peace in a given day.
- Eating well. See the weird ghee (it’s like butter) in the travel tupperware in that picture above? Yes, I dragged my own ghee across continents when I had to travel last week, just to keep my decaf coffee awesome. Trying to stick to my whole-foods, low-sugar eating has been essential to keeping me healthy and to keeping my energy levels more or less where they should be, even when I know I’m stressed out.
- Reading — even a tiny bit. This week, for example, I am scheduled to the gills. TO THE GILLS. That said, I’m trying hard to make sure I get in at least 20 minutes of a good book each day. I’ve been on a run, and here’s hoping I can keep it up.
It’s harder than ever to do these things when I look at my calendar and to-do list this week, but I think it’s more important than ever.
What do you do in those crazy busy times to ward off the madness?
I’m totally with you regarding meditation. I’ve been doing it off and on for a few years but it’s only been the past 6 months that I’ve been able to make it a daily practice. It’s so worth it and I can definitely see a difference.
Amazing, no?
I run or play soccer; getting totally blasted with cardio keeps me sane.
The part I’ve recently mastered is sleep. I can’t say I’m at 9.5 hours, but I regularly get 8, and that’s great for me!
Great post to show that even when you’re crazy busy, a few key habits can keep you sane and healthy!
Thanks!
LOVED this post!
#busy. #swamped. #tired. #donthavetime. They account for close to 55 million posts on Insta (54,182,430 to be precise).
Reading this reminded me of an event I attended a couple of weekends ago. I greeted a 7 year old who I hadn’t seen in a few years. Upon saying “Hi” and “How are you?”, he looked at me, he shrugged his shoulders, and with a ridiculously tired voice he said “You know…”. “Hmm no, I don’t know, how are you” I responded”. “Ugh.. you know” he said looking down”. “Tired” he confirmed. I was in shock, and only said “TIREEED?? From what!”. And with his 7-year old voice he said “you know, work, homework. So much to do. I’m tired”.
At that point I was getting ready to lose my mind. I’m pretty sure that kid doesn’t have a job, family, or mortgage to pay, and he had just gotten back from vacation. I was beyond confused.
Then I saw his mom, I greeted her with the same hello/how are you. It was like dejavu except that this time the same “You know/ I’m Tired” response was coming from a 30something woman. I knew then the kid was imitating patterns that he was learning at home.
Joke aside, I can relate to this post. It is so easy to get caught up in the mids of life, to the point we forget to live life for what it truly is. It seems like “being busy” these days has become some twisted sense of affirmation, job security (?), and almost like something that people enjoy.
I love having things to do and enjoying the sense of accomplishment that comes from finishing those things; however, balance is key for my mental and physical health.
The four things you listed here to help your sanity are right on point! I recently downloaded an app that helps me meditate (and most importantly, reminds me to do so).
Life may be crazy biz some times, but it is truly up to us to live it #BanBusy style.
Nice work Claire – on fighting the ‘busy-means-important’ paradigm as well as finding things to keep you grounded and on track.
My main coping mechanisms are nature connection and solo analog time – often both at once 🙂 There truly is nothing like a patch of green to feed my soul and build my resilience back up. If combined with completely no screens and/or a meditation, then it exponentially increases the impact. I actually find that hard as I love to take photos and share, but there’s some things we just don’t need photos for…
Keep doing your thing and listening to your inner wisdom about what you need to stay well.
Excellent advice.