How To Survive A Crazy Season
Let’s talk about how to survive a crazy season in life. We have all been there. Whether you’re in a home renovation, a huge work project, a sickness in your family, or it might be a variety of reasons all at one time - I think you know the season I’m talking about. It’s when there is no break. You might find yourself eating on the go a lot and having to put off tasks that are usually absolute necessities.
We have had more than one of these seasons this year alone. And let me add here - my husband and I have been talking about how this not good and we might need to do some adjusting to not let one of these happen again for a while.
But the reality is that we all will experience times like this. For context, let me tell you about our latest “crazy season.” We pastor a church that we started just over 6 years ago. We are so thankful for the growth we have experienced and we have outgrown portions of our current property. We were able to secure a lease on the space directly beside our current space that we rent. This unit was a mess. Everything had to be ripped out. From the floors to the ceiling. We are on a very tight budget and did most of the work ourselves. We spread this project out over the summer, but then had an event in mid-September as a deadline. My husband and I both had some prior commitments that kept us from doing as much as we wanted in August. Starting September 1 our nose was to the grindstone. I felt like we lived at the church.
I have a high schooler doing online school, a daughter that started kindergarten that month, my regular job, and then we added this project. To say it was busy is an understatement.
Like I mentioned before, this isn’t my first season like this and likely won’t be my last. I have learned a few things along the way that have helped me survive these seasons and I hope they will help you too.
Prioritize. You hear me say this a lot. It’s important for us to do every day, but especially in a season where life is full. You will have to say no to things that you might usually say yes to. Keep a list (I like to keep this list on my phone) of all the things that you are putting off. You can reference this list later and decide what needs to stay. But only say yes to the things that absolutely must happen.
Self-Care. I don’t mean a massage - although you need to book this as soon as this is over! But by self-care I mean to prioritize the things that will keep you functioning at your best. For me this includes: morning devotion, daily vitamins, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep. It is very tempting to grab the laptop when you head to bed if you’re just getting home in barely enough time to get the kids in bed on time. But this is the worst thing you can do. You need sleep! Make a list of the non-negotiable pieces of your self-care and don’t let those things fall to the side.
Routines. If possible, try to hold to your simple routines as much as you can. Earlier this year we were in a big project and I did not do this well and it was terrible for my stress level. This time around, I kept parts of my core routines and it was a game changer for how I felt through this busy time. These are the parts I kept:
My weekly cleaning schedule - I did not stay completely up to date with my deep clean routine, but I did my daily house tasks to keep my house clean. I might not have done these on the exact days that I usually do. And if I had the time I doubled up on some of them. But keeping my house clean is huge for me.
Nightly routine - I made sure that each night I sat my clothes and my daughter’s clothes out for the next day. I made her lunch and had our bags ready for the next day. I also made certain to straighten the house each night - my nightly pickup. While this may seem to add to my list, starting each morning out behind is the last thing you want to do. Decide what needs to be done to start your morning off right, even if you know the day will be a non-stop one.
Reset day. The day after our event I declared it “Shelley’s Reset Day.” I stayed home and did the simple things I needed to do to feel like I could start back to “normal life” the next week. I straightened my pantry that had gotten in a bit of disarray. I got completely caught up on laundry and cleaned out my inbox. If you are looking for a list for your reset day - check out my Weekend Routine. On this day I also took a 30 minute nap right before I had to pick my daughter up from school. When you’ve been in a crazy season, give yourself a day or 2 to get back on track and reset.
Here are a few tips on how I did these things.
By going to bed and getting a full nights sleep, I woke up early each morning and go started right away. After my devotion I would check my email and make the list of priorities for the day. If I had time before getting my daughter up and ready for school I would grab a quick house cleaning task and start a load of laundry.
Water bottles and snacks. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes forget to eat when it’s crazy and then end up eating whatever I can find, and that is usually not a healthy option. Each night when I got Elsie’s lunch and backpack ready I would also get my backpack ready and throw in some water bottles and healthy snacks.
We all will experience days or even weeks like this. But they don’t have to completely derail our lives. This is why I have routines. This is why I keep a minimal home. By having routines in place, when I feel like life derails me, it’s so much easier to get back on track. All of the things you are doing today will make your next season easier.