Happy Friday! We made it through yet another week. Whether your week was good or bad, sometimes we get off track. Life gets busy and our habits go to the wayside, we stop planning, and we get thrown into survival mode. But what about when your life settles back down? How do you get back on track? This happened to me recently. My life got hectic, I began struggling with my mental health, and I was in survival mode. I'm feeling better now, but I hadn't planned much all month (shocking, I know), my habits were non-existent, and my goals were on the back burner. I'm ready to get back to normal and focus on my goals. Here are my tips for planning after the unexpected.
Understand Life Happens
Something I've always struggled with are changes in my routine. It really affects my mental health when it happens, and I tend to shut down. I want to crawl into my bed and sleep until whatever is happening is over. Anyone relate? Sometimes, the best thing we can do IS to rest as much as possible, and give ourselves lots and lots of grace. I didn't come up with that advice on my own. My friend, Shea, always tells me to give myself grace. It's excellent advice, though I struggle to actually implement it. Understanding life is full of ups and downs, and because of that, your plans and goals probably won't happen on your perfect timeline is the first step to moving on after something unexpected happens.
Make Time to Care for Yourself
Personally, I can be really hard on myself for "failing", or losing sight of my goals. I get frustrated by my inability to be a robot and keep going when I feel like falling apart. I'm still learning how to be gentle with myself and make time for some extra self-care when life gets hard. Being unkind to yourself is the most unhelpful thing you can do. Again, I struggle to take my own advice because it's hard. There's a lot of feelings that can come when you feel like you're failing. My primary emotion tends to be shame, which in turn makes me angry and sad. Getting past those feelings can be difficult, but I've found the quickest way out of the cycle is doing things I enjoy. Here's a list of some of my favorite ways to care for myself. I hope this gives you some ideas.
Going for walks. Here in Oklahoma, it's been 100,000 degrees, so I joined a gym and I walk on the treadmill. It's not quite the same as being out in the sunshine, but I still get happy endorphins. I prefer to walk outside when I can, though.
Spending time with friends. I want to isolate myself when I'm struggling, but I know that's not what's best for me. I've been blessed with an amazing support system full of friends who encourage me to keep going when I feel like giving up.
Taking a nap. Sometimes, more rest is exactly what we need. If your body is telling you to slow down, you should listen.
Enjoying a relaxing bath. Depending on my mood, I use a bath bomb, bubbles, or epsom salts. Sometimes I read, but when I'm stressed I like to just close my eyes and rest.
Journaling. Getting my thoughts out on paper helps me a lot. Being able to process my emotions and sort through my thoughts gives me space to begin to move forward.
Reading a book. I love reading, which you guys know. When I can focus, that always helps me to relax.
Trying a new hobby or craft. I recently picked up diamond painting, and it's been fun. It's so satisfying to fill in the squares, and I get to be creative.
Listening to your favorite music. Does anyone else love Miss Swift as much as I do? Her music is like free therapy.
Having a tech free day. Sometimes unplugging is exactly what I need.
Practicing deep breathing. This is good one, especially if you're prone to anxiety like me. Taking time to just breathe can be so beneficial.
Access Where You Are Now
The next step is to access where you are. This is really important because things might not be as bad as they seem. Before I sat down and thought about it, my situation felt dismal. I hadn't planned in almost a month. My blog posts were sporadic. I couldn't focus on reading to save my life, and I wasn't able to produce content. Working was really difficult too, and I couldn't manage my time well. However, it wasn't as bad as it felt. I had still produced some content, and though it wasn't as much as I wanted to, it was still progress. I was still posting on social media occasionally. I read a couple of books last month, even though it wasn't my ten to fifteen I typically read. I still worked my minimum hours, even when I didn't want to.
I still made tons of progress, even though it was slow. More importantly, I kept going and did the best I could when I felt like hiding away in my bed all day. If that's all you do, that's amazing and you should be proud. Again, I struggle to take my own advice, but I hope this can help you.
Make a New Plan
The last step is making a "new" plan. It doesn't have to be a new plan. You can jump right back in where you were and pretend nothing happened. That's what I've done this time. If it's been a while, or you'd like a fresh start, making a new plan might be a good idea. That plan can include some extra self-care or rest, new routines to get you back in the mindset you want, or writing down some new goals. You can make a new list of your reasons why you started in the first place to motivate yourself. Heck, I like to buy new supplies to get myself excited again. Your new plan can also be to leave whatever it is on the back burner for a while longer while you recuperate. Jumping back in too soon can do more harm than good.
No matter what you decide to do, it needs to be what's best for you in your current season. Having goals is important, but so are you and your well-being. Remember, you can't pour from an empty cup.
Final Thoughts
This advice comes from lots and lots of experience. I haven't always been able to do this. In fact, this is the first time I've been able to jump back in this quickly. It usually takes me at least 10 business days after the crisis or busy period is over to feel remotely like myself again. Anyone who knows me can attest to that. So please, don't feel like you're failing if you can't get back to normal quickly. It sometimes takes years of practice to be able to do so. And really, being gentle with myself has been the most beneficial step for me. Being unkind does nothing at all to help you. It only continues the cycle. I cannot reiterate that enough.
I sincerely hope this has encouraged you to either keep going, or take some time to rest. Have a great weekend, and I'll be back Monday with a new post on my home routines.
-xxAlycia
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