A week that felt never ending
This has been a week which has felt never ending! It started with me releasing my latest podcast on Monday: Hot Outside, Hot Inside: A Perimenopause Summer Guide
I aim to release this on the first Friday of the month and Monday was not that day! I recorded it last weekend and wanted to give myself grace as there’s a lot going on right now.
In addition to my full time job, building my business, taking a Menopause Support Coach course, I’m redesigning some of my website, decorating my house (it’s been nearly 2 years since I moved in and I’m still in the process of making it my own), looking after myself and occasionally having fun and I’m aware that I can’t do all the things that I used to.
Why I’m giving myself grace this summer
I have come into this summer promising myself grace – there is so much going on, and I want to be present and not go crazy (I have burned out previously and not only is it not a fun place, it’s also one I don’t want to go back to). Also, I’m now perimenopausal. I’m struggling to sleep (and not just because of the heat) and I’ve just started Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), so I know that I need to be kind to myself.
The to-do list, the deadline and knowing your limits
I have plans for the summer (and not just what I mentioned above!) and I have a to do list I’d love to make my way through by 1st September. I am someone who works better when I know what I want to do, so I can tick things off, and a deadline helps as well. But it’s also important to know the limits of your body – whether you want a night off because, well, there’s a film on the TV, or because you’re exhausted, you want an early night, you’re going for a swim instead of reading the menopause book you’re working through… You get the point.
Be kind to yourself – whatever that looks like for you
And really, all I wanted to say is be kind to yourself. Listen to your body. With me sometimes I need a hug, sometimes a kick up the backside, and sometimes both at the same time. Will I get to September 1st with all the items on my to-do list ticked off? It’s unlikely. But if I can get a chunk of it done, knowing I’ve had a great summer, I’ve made the most of the weather and I’ve at least finished some projects, I’ll take that. The pressure I put on myself? I’ll leave that behind, thanks.
So, what are you telling yourself this summer?
I’ll leave you with this: what are you telling yourself this summer? What do you want to have done by 1st September? How will you feel if you don’t do it? How will you feel if you don’t do it, but you’ve tried your best, you’ve listened to your body, you’ve been present and you’ve made memories? Because those are the best kinds of summers. And that’s the summer I want.