Slowing Down Your Pace this Summer
As we approach summer, I want you to think about what summer meant for you as a kid. Was it light? Was it long? Was it boring? Was it fun? What was the energy of summer for you? I found the days to be expansive and filled with playdates, pools, and beach time. It never occurred to me how my parents got us to the beach or the coordination but I always remembered getting out of school and summer being fun. While summer for me always has a vibrant and laid back energy, I also feel summer is a time to slow down a bit. To meet this season and find some time to recalibrate and reboot.
When I think of the words “Slow down” in modern day society, I think some feel a resistance as summer approaches with whether they can work and also have fun and joy.
What is slowing down? What do you mean?
Our pace during the school year is so packed with our daily lives and schedules, it’s hard for us to dream up or think about another pace, until things start to feel hard, maybe we are stressed or we are near burnout and become exhausted. Usually there are flags along the way that set things off course. It becomes incredibly hard to cope and try to manage the daily rhythms of life and it doesn’t become as manageable.
In a matter of weeks, people are resuming and putting graduation parties, showers, sports, and plenty of other events back on the calendar. So slowing down isn’t intuitive or recognizable to most young working parents.
Life becomes busy, but your schedule is yours.
There’s something that happens with young parents today. They are engaged in their careers and when one to a few children come into their lives the pace becomes quite busy. In the background (the work and how that integrates with family) never really seems to change or meet up with that moment. When you have a few kids, you need more support. I know it because I felt immensely challenged by the logistical and emotional compounds of having young kids and trying to do both while working full time. I didn’t spend a huge amount of time figuring out if it was feasible for my mental, emotional and physical health. For someone who is a problem solver, it still weighed on me. It’s no surprise that working young parents don’t think this through because our society is one that works full time and produces. Childcare and school coverage is in the background.
Working Parents crave family time and down time.
The pandemic showed us that we had to nearly shift all of our lives to make it happen that year but it brings up other things that come up for working parents. I don’t think I’m an anomaly. I think most working parents crave more time with family in the summer and want tools to be able to take care of themselves, their young children and hopefully also be able to work things through with their partner as well. There is so much noise in this period of time because as a working parent with young kids, you’re literally doing something at every point of the day to keep things running. There are not many idle moments. So while I feel that many two income households feel they “have to” both work to financially meet daycare needs and their financials, I also feel there is opportunity to look at this from a holistic standpoint. Your mental and emotional health needs to get factored into how your family and work life intersect. And this one does not always get factored in right away. It takes time to develop a plan and work through job situations and career paths. But it’s an important one to consider and prioritize.
Taking a Step Back
Sometimes “doing it all” leaves us with less in the end to be proud of. When we are burned out yet working full time and stressed, what does it leave us with? And how does it help our children in the end? Running on fumes and trying to keep up is a recipe for a never ending cycle of exhaustion. So while we are in this unique post pandemic time of emerging into possible new jobs, careers or even a new business, it’s a good time to think about how you might want to craft your life to align your mental and emotional needs in a way that works for your family. And it doesn’t mean you have to ‘step back’ entirely or feel you’re derailing your whole career. Sometimes, it’s taking some steps to think about what you’re doing now and what type of schedule, work, and roles interest you. Then, you begin to take bite size actions to initiate how to move toward that goal. Oftentimes, you won’t see or know the end result. It's about piecing it together one step at a time. For so many parents, making a career change or finding a role more suitable to family life can feel like a daunting task while you’re taking care of little humans. I encourage you to reach out for help, whether that is through a Mentor, a Life coach, or a Career Coach. Mapping out your life goals and where your career stands is about you and taking ownership of your life. Summer can be a great time to reflect, turn down the noise, and find out what’s calling you at this point in your personal and professional life.
Take the scenic route
Think about it as taking the scenic route. Keeping your skills and purpose in line with where you are at this stage of life. Oftentimes parents can’t see beyond their structured hours and their bosses demands.
There is remote work, consultancy, part time work and other roles that may suit your life in a more balanced way. It may take time to get there, but isn’t your purpose and life worth it? Is it worth it to stay on a hamster wheel of stress and anxiety? Sometimes we feel taking another path or detour is somehow letting ourselves down or missing the mark. It’s critical to look at your life, your work and what you do as something that contributes to your growth and happiness.
This quote really resonates with me as we head into this transitional period of time for our economy reopening.
It's my mission to help other working parents follow what feels good to them in work and life. We become better in our work lives, our own businesses, and home life for it. If you want to take the scenic route, slow down and figure out your path forward, reach out for a chat! I’d love to help you on your journey as a working parent!
For more tips on wellbeing and leading a sustainable working parent life, follow me on instagram, @villagecoachmamma.
All the answers are inside you!
Happy start to summer!
Christine
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