Working moms if you’re like me, September 2020 presented the hardest return to work and school in recent memory.
We are navigating the start of the school year in this brave new world. We have added stressors never before present – masks, social distancing, distance learning, or onsite learning with social distancing!
It’s likely your children are struggling to adjust and connect with their new teachers.
But all this you know.
So how do we not loose our s#!t????
I’m in the thick of it! Working onsite and virtually. I am constantly shifting between spaces and faces.
I’m also trying to figure out how to avoid mask-cne, you know, acne from wearing a KN95 all day.
We’re in a period of ongoing change. What happens when humans are continuously under change? We experience change fatigue. We resist. We rebel. We reach for coping mechanisms to numb ourselves or escape.
Photo by Alec Favale on Unsplash
Predictably, we are going to face more change. Allow me to offer you 3 ways to thrive during all of this change.
Practice curiosity
Recognize human responses to stress and seek to more deeply understand where your loved ones and coworkers are coming from.
Exercise curiosity with your own responses to stress too.
What can they teach you? What is your body, mind, or soul craving?
Photo by James Wheeler on Unsplash
Radical, not f@£#ing around, self-care
I’m talking about waking up everyday and treating yourself with great care.
On the short list is eat well, drink enough (water, not wine), get great sleep, and rest.
Go all in on filling your days with joy-filled activities. If those joy-filled activities can include your family, even better!
Present moment awareness
Breathe and focus on each moment as its own. Work can wait when your child needs connection. Put your phone on silent when you need to complete an important work task.
Take each task one at a time and break down your day into achievable chunks. Carry each task to completion.
Recognize small moments of stress as teachers. Focus on what it can teach you and what you can learn about yourself.
Then choose self-care and activities which provide you with more energy.
Finally, let’s all recognize life and work right now is hard. For some of us, the balancing act feels impossible. I loved one of Glennon Doyle’s rallying cries from her book, Untamed. “We can do hard things.”
Believe within the deepest parts of yourself this is possible. You can thrive.
Come join us in Working Parents – Making It Work on Facebook and let us know how you’re thriving!
