Staying Sane in Seasons of Chaos

When I think of my current season of life, the first word that comes to mind is chaos. And I actually don’t mean that in a bad way at all. In fact, you could even say that it’s controlled chaos. My husband’s a full-time engineering student and this semester has been nothing short of intense and unpredictable. Our new normal has been eating dinner anywhere between 10pm and midnight…because that’s when Josh gets home from school. It’s not ideal, but it works.

I think that maintaining some clear structure and systems in my life has been key lately. Otherwise, it would be easy to feel overwhelmed. So, even though I’m working long hours, there are a few areas that I try to keep consistent.

Here are the things that keep me rooted:

Yoga 3x per week
Daily meditation/prayer
Afternoon/early evening walks daily
Daily reading + audiobooks (even if it’s only 5 minutes)
Monthly Mastermind Check in
Monthly Book Club
Weekly Small Group
Check in’s with the World Racers I mentor
Twice monthly Inner U Coaching Calls

So, the next question is…if life is so chaotic and crazy…how do you make time for the things that keep you rooted. For me, this looks like planning at least a month ahead. Before the month even starts, I get out my planner and put in yoga, book club, mastermind, small group, etc. This way, I don’t overlook these activities.

I also think that it’s important to keep your mornings and evenings as structured and routine as possible. I would say that this is the only way that I’m able to do all of the above things.

It’s also essential to know which activities really light you up. Mornings and evenings really seem to set the tone for the day and if you’re engaging in things that fill you up and energize you, this will allow you to bring even more presence to everything else that you do.

Where to Start?

I want to leave you with a few suggestions for getting started.

First:

Write down 1 activity that you can add to your mornings. I am currently taking a course called, ‘Inner U’ and in our last group coaching call, I made a promise to work on the course for 15 minutes each morning. So far, this has been a game changer. Before making this promise, I’d found that I wanted to prioritize the course but just wasn’t doing it. Now, instead of checking my email, I make a cup of coffee and start my day with the course.

Second:

Write down 1 activity that you can add to your evenings. For me, this has been listening to an audiobook for a few minutes. I don’t always have as much time as I would like, but 5 minutes is better than none.

Third:

Look over your calendar for the month ahead, and add in the most important activities. Whether it’s date nights, a night out with friends, small group, yoga, etc. just start. You’ll find that it’s so much easier to add these things in first, rather than waiting until the last minute when your calendar is already 95% full.