This one question saved me

You're exhausted.

There's too much work and not enough time.

Too many meetings and not enough free space.

Too many family and work demands, not enough internal spaciousness.

But there's also:

• Trying to make everyone happy by not rocking the boat

• Ruminating on how others are thinking and feeling

• Criticizing yourself: for your words, your actions, your body

• Avoiding uncomfortable or painful situations

• Disempowering habits

• Feeling lost when you have free time

You can't control how your work demands your time, nor can you control how your personal life upends your plans.

When I was a manager at Google, I worked 50-60 hours per week, overseeing 37 direct reports, writing my master's degree, and raising an infant and two-year-old. Life was full.

After one exhausting day at work, I came home to my stay-at-home husband, leaving for a well-deserved night out.

But I was wrecked.

That's when a question from Brene Brown's book, The Gifts of Imperfection (thank you, Master's thesis!) came to mind.

This question was a port in my exhausted storm.

As I shrugged off my coat, I fought the urge to faceplant onto the couch. Instead, I got busy helping my kids while a singular question ran through my mind over and over again:

“What can I do in this moment to take care of myself?”

“What can I do in this moment to take care of myself?”

“What can I do in this moment to take care of myself?”

In this seemingly impossible moment of mom exhaustion colliding with the most demanding timeframe of parenting, I remembered I could actually do a lot of things.

I could:

• Turn off the TV

• Take off my bra

• Change into my pajama pants

• Dim the lights

• Sip a glass of water

• Feel my feet on the floor

• Intentionally breathe

I learned that day that there are many pathways that return you back to your center.

You can find your responsiveness, not just your reactivity.

This is why I am so excited to share my Edgy to Energy mini-course on finding calm in the chaos of everyday life.

This mini-course is like getting 6 delightful tapas with my most expert tools designed to help you reduce stress, avoid pitfalls, and restore your energy…powerful metaphors will be included.

To learn more about Allison and her work, visit her at www.allisonkinnear.com.