And here comes Summertime, with a twist of Anxiety

All these years I’ve been keenly aware of my children’s anxiety during the transition from school to summer and again at the start of the school year. I tune in to support, nurture, and hold the space with love and patience. This year though, I am more awake to my own anxiety during this transition.

It’s always been about making sure my kids are okay and for my kids to be okay, I have to be okay.

So, I’m okay. I’m fine. I’ve got this. And I power through.

It’s been one of my super powers: to be okay, to keep it together. Thankfully, I’m aging. It is also okay to take a moment and melt the fuck down, because I’m not okay. Of course I’m not okay all the time. And no, I don’t have to be okay all the time for my kids to be okay. We are humans. So be more human and quit thinking you need to put on some stupid hero outfit and power through anything. (Pardon me while I talk to myself in my own blog).

I can be okay with it not being okay all the time. Because to really be okay, I acknowledge that sometimes it’s not.

It will be. It is. And in this moment, maybe it’s not.

So yes, this year, as we transition from the end of the school year and into summertime, I’m experiencing some anxiety. Summertime for working parents is hard as shit. And for mompreneurs or any parent that also works from home…hello, juggle!

I pull out my tool box and dig in.

• I’ve got gratitude, always on top and my favorite go to. It could be worse. I have a lot to be grateful for and it doesn’t take me long to feel the shift. This morning, I was grateful for my bed. I love my bed. And my pillow. And the candle that’s next to my aveda hand cream on my bedside table. The smells, the comfort, the serenity of that moment. I feel the anxiety ease its grip.

• Naming it. Yes, naming whatever feels heavy for me releases it for a moment. Oh, I’m a bit resentful? Or worried? Okay, I can work with that.

• Joy. Gotta get some of that on my to-do list. Where can I find, experience and play in joy today? Make it happen. Music, exercise, laughter, whatever it may be, and even if it’s just a three minute song, played loudly.

• Friendship. The quick connection of a funny text, a voice message, or if there is more time, a walk, a lunch, a happy hour date.

• Time to feel it. A good cry to honor whatever pain is present in my heart is powerfully healing. Yes, this hurts. Feel the hurt. Giving myself permission to feel it doesn’t mean I invite it in forever. It will not stay. I will move through it.

• Gratitude. Again, because it’s that’s powerful for me. The love in my life. The health of my body, my mind and my soul. The water I drink. The food that nourishes me. The warmth of the sunshine. The toilet paper in the bathroom…so much to be grateful for.

These all work for me and are especially helpful during the transition of school to summertime. What works for you? Come up with a list that makes you feel good. It doesn’t have to be the most perfect, best list of all times. Just good enough. You can always change it later. But create one for you, because you are worth it!

Your joy, your happiness, your inner peace is so worth it!

I am tweaking my schedule this week because I know that not only are my kids on edge, but I’m on edge too. And being on edge means it doesn’t take much for me to reach the edge and then drop to the floor in a puddle. I’m not trying to avoid it, I’m just living it, real, raw, and on purpose.