Antidote to Overwhelm

“Mommy, I’m going to miss you TOO much today.” My youngest started first grade yesterday.

“I know honey. I’m going to miss you so much too. But you’ll have such a fun day and I’ll see you before you know it.”

This is such a far cry from our previous transitions – where her struggle to handle the overwhelming emotions ended with scratch marks all over me + tears (from both of us.)

We’ve been working on how to handle transitions the last couple years.

In fact, the practice of transitions is one we can ALL benefit from.

Whether getting ready to start the school year or carving out space for your own self-care a midst your overwhelming and endless to-do list, we are constantly transitioning from one task to another or one event to another.

So I’m curious. How do you handle transitions?

Unfortunately most of us are so busy scheduling and rushing from one thing to another, we forget about creating space. Cushions to pad the chaos. I believe that much of our stress and overwhelm comes from this lack of padding.

If you’re always trying to squeeze in one more errand, one more class, or one more commitment…then you know what I mean!  🙂

I know it’s not easy. I had to take a stand and say no to a few requests this past weekend. To give the children space and downtime. And me as well.

We cuddled and talked about how they felt about school starting. We washed laundry and picked out clothes for the week. We tidied rooms prepared a nice family dinner. We discussed new school night and school morning plans and routines. All with a tone of positivity and fun. And guess what? They thanked me for all the things we did just to get ready for school. Honoring the transition calmed their nerves and fears. They felt excited and ready for that first day of school!

Of course, then I woke up Monday morning to a sweet little face fast asleep next to mine in bed, tucked safely between me and daddy. She snuck in at some point without us even noticing. One more extra cuddle before heading off to school. And our 8 year old son woke up with, “mommy I feel something weird but I don’t know what it is.” I asked where? He showed me his heart. I asked, “Do you feel a little bit nervous? A little bit excited but a little bit scared all at the same time?” He smiled and said yes, and he remembered feeling this way before school last year. 

And after dropping them off safely, I too felt a bit excited and scared at the same time.

Yay, I finally have time to work! But HOW would I catch up on everything that had fallen behind over the summer? And why didn’t I realize how little time I’d have to work and “get it all done” with a 6 and 8 year old home? With a big move to a new home? Not to mention the unplanned events such as losing my mother to AML and processing all the years of mourning from losing her the first time.

Sigh….

You see, we all do this. We all tend to bite off more than we can chew and then face the consequences of stress and overwhelm.

Honoring transition time and creating space is truly a lifelong practice. A practice I work on daily. A practice that I’m teaching my children … and my clients.

So take a moment with me now to tune in: where might you need to slow down and carve out a little more space in your life?

Are you always late getting places because you schedule meetings and events without factoring in true drive time? Mapquest your route and add a 10-20 minute cushion. Then throw your book or Kindle in your bag…. and should you be early, enjoy your waiting time!

I’d love to hear from you too. What do you do to navigate transitions? Leave a comment below and let us know!

As part of this post, I’m also sharing a beautiful 15-minute Letting Go of Overwhelm Healing….so if you’re not already part of our community, just enter your email below!

Off to plan out my new fall work schedule…… with lots of transition cushions!

Thanks for being here!

Love & blessings,