Doing too many good things becomes taxing and stressful.

With more access to people, activities and life, what’s happened to your schedule?

Have you slipped back into ‘normal’ life forgetting the benefits of the slower living we’ve all experienced?

Lockdown was too slow and too isolated but running the family into a whirlwind of drop offs and picks up and a continual mad dash of rushing isn’t ideal either.

It’s easy to enroll the kids in all the activities they missed out on, schedule the visits we couldn’t have, and do the things that just didn’t happen.

But, we’ve had a chance to see what life is like without running around like crazy. With the perspective of slower living, have you given anything up or are you back to rushing?

Rushing is one of the most common everyday sources of toxicity. It stresses the nervous system, which can cause a ripple effect of troubling symptoms. 

I’ve talked to many mothers about this conundrum. It sounds trivial but there are all sorts of reasons parents can’t say no to schedules that they know are too dense. I’ve heard so many explanations and they are all valid. In my opinion, none of them are as critical as teaching the children the value of balanced living.

It may not be possible to do everything that’s desired at the same time. We may have to make hard choices because it’s by saying no, even to good healthy things, that we protect space to just be. It’s gotten to the point that we have to schedule time to ‘just be’ or it doesn’t happen. 

Density is a major contributor to chronic illness in adults. It’s taking a serious toll on children’s ability to focus and regulate their behaviour.

I invite you to take a hard look at your schedule and ask yourself, where are the times to just unwind when there is nothing specific that you have to do? 

Life just spills into empty spaces. Are you protecting your downtime? 

Send me a note in one of your pauses. I’d love to hear how you’re doing.