The End of Summer Balance

We are all feeling it. The nights are late, the mornings are slow and there is an endless ringing of “I’m BORRRRRRRED” through the house. We are feeling the exhaustion of summer while trying to cram in every last ounce of it we can. Our kids are becoming tired of the lack of structure and probably as irritated with us as we are with them. Or Wait… is that just me…..?

Over the last week I have heard parent after parent tell me that they are feeling that same tension between the end of summer and back to school. It seems to fly by yet not came fast enough all at the same time. I remember before my kids started schools I watched the scramble of getting school supplies, uniforms, lunch boxes and backpacks. Now that I have a first grader and a preschooler, I am right in the middle of it. I feel a sense of anxiousness wondering how we will do it all. Getting everyone where they need to be and out the door by 8am at this point sounds like a mission impossible.

Take a Step in the Sunlight

In her podcast “the gifts of imperfect parenting” Brene Brown claims that the best indicator of how our children will respond to their world when the grown up is by watching how we respond to it. This includes stress, anxiety, relationships, terror on the news, chaos in our home and even going back to school. This means that in all of life’s overwhelming struggles we have to, yet again, point the arrow back towards ourselves. Are we getting enough space to be healthy, are we spending enough time taking care of our personal life so that we can connect and teach them how to take care of theirs?

I’m recognizing my own need for space amidst the business, and yet I distract myself from being intentional about it because there just isn’t any time! It is easy to become quickly overwhelmed by all there is to do that we do none of it. Instead we stare at our phones or zone into something mindless to attempt an escape from the world around us. In our efforts to disengage, we end up wasting time. However if we were able to daily claim moments for ourselves we would find ways to tap into our refueling source and have more to offer our family, friends, and jobs.

In an attempt to take care of yourself, recognize your limits, slow down, and take that extra moment to take in a refreshing deep breath for no other purpose than it is good for you.  Your kids will draw strength from your ability to recognize your limits.