We may already be feeling pushed and pulled in a million directions and with the holidays upon us, our lives feel even more hectic. I love the holidays and planning special experiences for our daughter and us as a family. It is also busy, busy, busy. Even the fun times and seasons of our life can make it more challenging to support and nourish ourselves.
Many of our responsibilities are non-negotiable, especially related to work or with our kids, so often what gets neglected is our health and wellness practices. We find it challenging to fit in exercise and maybe eat out more than what is typical. Forget about trying to journal or meditate-who has time for that?
If you are a chronic doer like me, it’s hard in general to take a pause, and busy seasons make it even more challenging. The to-do list is long and we feel like there just isn’t enough time in the day to get all the things we need to get done, let alone any extra time for ourselves. So, we push through.
Outcomes of pushing ourselves
As someone with autoimmune disease and who struggles with preventing and managing chronic inflammation, figuring out how I can support my body through challenging or busy times when supporting myself doesn’t come easy, is even more crucial. We may have a solid wellness and healing plan most of the time and then, bam! We find we can’t pull it together.
Soon we start feeling the added fatigue, our digestion is off, and our stress levels are higher so we may not be sleeping as well. Constantly being on the go, go, go, and pushing our bodies to the limit can have negative consequences on our health and immune system, leaving us less resilient to stressors, getting sick more often, or flaring up inflammation or autoimmune symptoms.
5 ways to support our bodies during busy seasons
pay attention to how we feel
While checking in with our body regularly is a crucial wellness practice, it is even more important during busy seasons. Our body can only be pushed so far before it runs out of gas. When we are in tune with our bodies and the signs and symptoms it gives us normally, we know what the signs mean, even during busy seasons. Watch for the signs our body is giving that says, “OK, I’m running on fumes here.”
For me, I know my body is starting to run out of gas and is coasting on fumes when my joints start to become achy and swollen, I am not sleeping well, and my digestion is off. Work to get to tune in to your body so you know how to respond when it starts sounding the alarm. The next step is to figure out how we can work in nourishment and support before it gets worse, and the train is too far down the track. Your next question may be, “How am I going to do that when I am already stretched so thin?”
Can i get rid of or stop doing anything?
When we are in a busy season, a lot of what we are doing can’t be stopped or changed. We have to go to work, get our kids to school, activities, do all the planning for their holiday celebrations, and prepare celebrations for our own family. The list goes on and on. Taking a close look at what we have going on to see if there is anything that we could stop, areas we could ask for help with, or things we could do to make it easier can help give us some breathing room to ease the pressure a bit. It may not be something we stop doing forever, but just temporarily pausing it until our schedule eases up can open some space.
It may even be helpful to create a list with columns to identify non-negotiables that we cannot change, another for things that we could ask for help with or explore ways to make it easier, and another for things that are not a priority right now. Discontinue what we can, even for a short time, then spend focused attention on the things that could use some support to become easier.
add wellness practices into non-negotiables where it makes sense
Sometimes during busy seasons, getting creative as to how we work in health and wellness practices can offer support and help us feel a little more balanced. For example, we may have a commute to work or to get our kids to and from where they need to go. This may be our only time to ourselves. What can we do during that time in the car that feels like a stress-reducing practice or that I am supporting myself?
It might be that we simply sit in silence to allow our body and mind to have a break, to breathe, and just be. This will help calm our nervous system and reduce stress. Maybe we listen to or sing along to our favorite music or listen to our favorite podcast. Reserve this time for ourselves. I do this during carline when I am picking up my daughter from school. I bring a snack, put on a podcast, and relax. Or maybe I catch up with a friend on the phone or listen to music. A 20-minute car ride by myself can feel like a mini-vacation.
I could also put in earbuds and listen to music or a podcast while making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, or folding laundry. If you work from home and have a conference call or meeting that doesn’t require you to be in front of your computer, head outside and walk and talk to reap the benefits of getting in body movement and being outside.
fuel the body
If we are going to be in go, go, go mode, our body needs fuel. Eating regular meals and snacks and staying hydrated will help keep our blood sugar balanced and provide our body with the fuel it needs to get through the busy season. If we know we have a busy week or days ahead, it can be helpful to do some planning ahead of time.
Planning our families’ meals for the week has been a game-changer for me, and it has helped us save money on groceries because we buy what we need. At the beginning of the week, I look at what we have going on and what days will be busier than others and plan meals accordingly. I try to plan an easier meal for busier days like something that will slow cook in the crockpot, or I make a larger meal the day before, so I have leftovers and don’t have to cook at all.
Batch cooking can also help ease a busy week. While I am cooking dinner, I make extra protein and veggies for meals that can be thrown together on busy days. Cook and clean up the kitchen once and get a few meals out of it. If we are going to be out and about all day, I pack lunch and snacks so I can keep my energy up and avoid sugar crashes. Our body won’t run or perform at its best if it’s not properly fueled.
sleep
Prioritize restorative sleep whenever possible. Often our sleep is disrupted during busy seasons, either because of demands on our schedule or because we are operating at a higher stress level that’s affecting our ability to have a restful night’s sleep. If we are sleep-deprived, it will be even more challenging to be resilient during busy times. Not getting enough sleep alone is enough to flare autoimmune and inflammatory symptoms for me.
If we are finding it hard to wind down from our busy day and it feels like we can’t shut our brain off to go to sleep, it may be helpful to establish a nightly routine to help our body decompress from the day. It doesn’t have to be long or elaborate. This may include determining a time we close up shop for the day, writing a to-do list for the next day to get everything out of our brain and on paper, taking a 10–20-minute hot shower or bath, reading or journaling for 5-10 minutes, listening to a five-minute guided mindfulness meditation, and getting off to bed in 30 minutes or less. Try out a few routines to see what works best for you.
conclusion
Busy seasons are often temporary. Circumstances will eventually change. Even if we are off our typical wellness plan, that’s ok. The added stress of feeling like we are not doing all the things to take care of ourselves is adding more fuel to the fire right now. Identify what we can do to support ourselves during this season and do those. Keep it simple. Fuel, hydration, sleep, and gentle body movement. If we can work in time for ourselves, have fun with friends, or time in nature, great!
I’m not at all suggesting we abandon our wellness practices, especially during times when our bodies are stretched thin and need extra support. It’s also important to consider what’s ideal versus what’s realistic at this moment. When we are continuously checking in with our bodies and evaluating our circumstances, we can always pivot and switch gears at any time.
How do you support your body during busy seasons?