Get It Together, Weirdo

Reclaiming Your Sanity: 3 Techniques for Finding Inner Peace amidst Overwhelming Responsibilities

• Sarah Bowser, That Weird Nerdy Mom • Episode 17

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What do you think you need more right now — your sanity or having all of your shit together? 

If you're anything like Get It Together, Weirdo host Sarah Bowser, the answer probably depends on the day, maybe even the hour.  When you’re struggling with overwhelming responsibilities, you can feel like a failure for not having it all together, for letting things slip and turn into a hot mess — and for feeling as though you are losing your freaking mind. 

In this episode, Sarah dives into why, most of the time, you need to focus on your mental health first. She shares three ways to help you keep your sanity in check so you can then tackle getting the rest of your shit together without, you know, losing your mind. 

Want to stay in the loop on new episodes, posts, and other tidbits that Sarah shares? Go to thatweirdnerdymom.com to hop on her email list, or join her for weekly coworking on Mondays. 

What you’ll learn in this episode: 

  •  It’s normal, amidst overwhelming responsibilities, to feel like a failure for not having it all together and for feeling as though you’re losing your mind. 
  • It is possible to have sanity and your shit together. But without your sanity, you have little chance of successfully managing anything else. 
  •  Letting go of guilt isn't about ignoring your responsibilities. It's about recognizing that you're human and giving yourself permission to move on. 
  • Three ways to help you keep your sanity in check so you can tackle the rest. 

Noteworthy quotes from this episode: 
“When you're overwhelmed, it's easy to feel like everything is urgent and important, but not everything needs your attention right now or maybe ever.” 

“ Learning to set boundaries and say no to commitments that don't align with your values and priorities is life-changing. Every time you say no to something that doesn't serve you, you're saying yes to something that does.” 

“Perfection is unattainable. No matter how hard we try. We're going to make mistakes. We're going to fall short and we're going to have messy days. And that's okay.” 

“Instead of focusing on what you didn't do, think about what you learned. Focus on the present moment and ask yourself, what can I do right now to feel good and move forward?” 

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Ep. 17. Reclaiming Your Sanity: 3 Techniques for Finding Inner Peace amidst Overwhelming Responsibilities

Welcome to Get It Together, Weirdo, the podcast where we dive into ways to help you figure out how you can tackle your to-do's, keep track of your side quests, and manage your time in a way that works for your brain so you can focus on nerding out on the things that make you do a happy dance. I'm Sarah Bowser, your get your shit together coach and resident weirdo here to guide you on your journey. So let's get it together, weirdo.

Hey there, my wonderfully weird friend. Welcome back to Get It Together Weirdo, the podcast where we embrace the chaos, prioritize what really matters, and figure out how to get our lives in order one small step at a time. What do you think you need more right now? Your sanity or to have your shit together? If you're anything like me, the answer probably depends on the day, maybe even the hour. It is possible to have both. Most of the time though, you need to start with your sanity before you can even think about getting your shit together. 

So today we're going to dive into why that's true and cover three ways to help you keep your sanity in check so you can tackle the rest without, you know, losing your mind. When I first became a mom, the amount of responsibility was overwhelming beyond belief. Suddenly, I wasn't just managing my normal responsibilities. I was responsible for this tiny, fragile human who depended on me for everything. The amount of stress and fear I felt was astronomical. Fast forward to my second kiddo being born, in the middle of the pandemic, no less. And the overwhelm was dialed up even further. The constant juggling of responsibilities, the uncertainty, all the diapers, the sheer weight of it all. It felt like I was barely keeping my head above water. It took a lot of work to keep my sanity in check.

Amidst all of that craziness, I felt like a failure for not having it together, for feeling as though I was losing my mind, and for letting things slip and turn into an utter mess. Eventually, though, I realized that focusing on my sanity was more important than trying to keep all my shit together. Because without our sanity, we have very little chance of successfully managing everything else. So today we're going to talk about three ways to help you maintain your sanity. Because when your mind is in a good place, everything else becomes at least slightly more manageable.

The first thing that helped me regain my sanity was learning how I could prioritize things in a way that worked for me. When you're overwhelmed, it's easy to feel like everything is urgent and important. But not everything needs your attention right now. Or maybe ever. Let's start with the power of no. Learning to set boundaries and say no to commitments that don't align with your values and priorities is life-changing. It's not always easy, especially if you're a people pleaser like me, but it's necessary. Every time you say no to something that doesn't serve you, you're saying yes to something that does.

Another game-changer was the 80/20 rule. This rule says that roughly 80% of the results you achieve comes from 20% of your efforts. So what are the vital few tasks that will get you the most significant results? Focus on those first and do your best to let go of the rest. There's also time blocking, where you create dedicated blocks of time for specific tasks. For example, you might block out an hour in the morning for focused work, another hour in the afternoon for household chores, and a block in the evening for family time. The time blocks can be however long or short you need them to be to help you stay productive and reduce the overwhelm of trying to juggle everything at once.

The second way to keep your sanity in check is by cultivating a self-care ritual. And this doesn't have to be elaborate or time-consuming. Just find a small, consistent way to take care of yourself throughout the day. What could you do in the mornings to set your mental capacity up for the day? Whether it's a few minutes of journaling, gentle stretching, or just taking some extra time with your coffee, taking time to center yourself in the morning can set a positive tone for the rest of the day. It's a chance to check in with yourself before diving into your responsibilities. Maybe you could use micro breaks, short intentional breaks throughout the day where you can breathe, stretch, take a quick walk, or just savor your next cup of coffee or tea without distractions. Even five minutes can make a big difference in how you feel. And what about an evening routine? You could carve out time at the end of the day to unwind and think about what went well. Maybe you spend a moment appreciating something positive that happened or chatting through a highlight of your day with a loved one. It's a simple but powerful way to end the day on a good note.

The third and maybe most important thing is learning to embrace imperfection and let go of guilt. Perfection is unattainable no matter how hard we try. We're going to make mistakes, we're going to fall short, and we're going to have messy days. And that's okay. Being imperfect doesn't mean we're lacking our sanity when things don't go as planned. Practice self-compassion. Treat yourself the way that you would treat a friend who's struggling with kindness, understanding, and encouragement. Remind yourself that you're doing the best you can with what you have and guilt. Guilt can be very stinky. It creeps in when you feel like you're not doing enough, even when you're already stretched thin. To let go of the guilt, try reframing past experiences. Instead of focusing on what you didn't do, think about what you learned. Focus on the present moment and ask yourself, what can I do right now to feel good and move forward? Letting go of guilt isn't about ignoring your responsibilities. It's about recognizing that you're human and giving yourself permission to move on.

So here's the big takeaway for today. If you're feeling like you have to choose between your sanity and keeping your shit together, start with your sanity. By embracing mindful prioritization, cultivating a daily self-care ritual of some sort, and letting go of perfection and guilt, you'll create a foundation that helps make all the other shit more manageable. So take some time this week to try one of these strategies. Maybe you block off an hour for focused work, take a micro break to enjoy your coffee, or just practice a little self-compassion when things don't go as planned. Whatever you choose, remember that you're doing the best you can and that's enough.

Thanks so much for listening today. You can find complete show notes, links to resources mentioned, as well as a link to our co-working community on our website at thatweirdnerdymom.com. Be sure to leave a rating or review and check me out on Instagram @that_weirdnerdymom. Feel free to shoot me a DM. I'd love to hear from you. Until next time, my wonderful weirdo, you've got this. Bring out your weird.