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Keeping yourself sane when life is busy feels particularly fitting right now. Last week I started a new role at work. It’s extremely exciting but also means my routine has been completely disrupted. I’m sure many of you can relate to that – we start a new job, school, or sometime entirely unexpected comes up.
It can be easy to feel jolted and forget how to take care of ourselves. I’m definitely not an expert but it’s also something I’m working on. Life is all about changes and I want to thrive when changes pop up – not struggle to survive.
HOW TO STAY SANE WHEN LIFE IS BUSY
- Do One Thing For Yourself Each Day: Spend an hour or five minutes – whatever you can do is perfect. Just make sure you do one thing each that is purely for YOU. Some of my favorites are journaling, reading, and long showers.
- Create A Schedule: When we have a lot going on, our days can feel unmanageable. If you’re able, start your days with a schedule for the day. List out everything you need to do. Start with anything that is scheduled for a specific time (meetings, appointments, classes, etc.). Fill in the gaps with other to do list items. I always find that starting with smaller tasks helps when you feel overwhelmed.
- Aim For Sufficient Sleep: Everyone is different and needs a different amount of sleep. Some people needs 8-9 hours while others do just fine on 6. Focus on being in bed for a little longer than however much sleep you feel works for you. Give yourself some time to (hopefully) fall asleep. Don’t worry about specific hours of sleep – focus on resting for a full night. It can be easy to stay awake worrying so as long as you are laying down and relaxing – that is all that matters!
- Talk To Supportive People: When life is hectic, reach out to friends and/or family. It can be a huge relief to get some of your crazy days off your chest.
- Take Time To Stare At The Wall: Growing up I had a few friends whose parents said, they just needed some time to stare at a wall each day. I never really understood until my life started to ramp as a teenager and as a young adult. We all need some time to do nothing and not think about anything. Take some time to do just that. Sit on the couch and zone out for a little while. It can be immensely helpful.
- Do Something Fun: Try your hardest to fit in something fun as often as you can without feeling too overwhelmed. If life is too much right now, aim for once/week. It doesn’t have to take a long time but watching (or going out to) a movie or trying a new recipe can be fun and help you enjoy your life during a busy season.
- Manage Your Priorities: It’s important to be aware of your priorities and try to fit them in as best you can. For me, I’m able to maintain relationships (husband, friends, and family) on the weekends but there are activities I want to do during the week that can be challenging to fit in. Therapy, blogging/YouTube, and movement are my high priority items that need to happen during the week. It is challenging because some of these can be difficult when I don’t know or control my schedule all the time. But finding ways to carve out time, going even when I’m tired (nothing too extreme), and slowly creating a new routine makes a huge difference in my life and overall happiness.
- Create Time Blocks: I want to do a dedicated post on this but for now, I’ll just say time blocks are a lifesaver for me! When you have a lot going on, creating chunks of time for different tasks (work, personal, housework, bills, etc.) can be extremely beneficial.
These are all the tips that come to mind but as always, please share your own in the comments!
