Glennon Doyle posted this awesome photo on Facebook.
She captured a moment at a soccer game of a mom who not only showed up for her kids but she also showed up for HERSELF!
Glennon captioned the photo:
“I give you: MY NEW HERO. This Soccer Mom, at my kid’s last game.
Whilst the other parents stood loudly and earnestly and concernedly on the sidelines: this mother laid her body down on the ground, her head on her purse, and her blanket over her face – and napped.
Her entire existence said: I am showing up for my kid. But I’m not gonna pretend I’m not exhausted about It.
Please understand that periodically- when the sideline yelled and woke her from her warrior sleep- she would raise that little thumb of hers and say: yay. And then she’d go back to sleep.
I love her. She is a cultural icon for our time.
Here’s to WOMEN WHO FREAKING REST WHEN THEY’RE TIRED. May we know them. May we raise them. May we be them.
I would like to formally nominate this hero as the president elect of our Women Who Have Run Out of Effs to Give Club.
There will be no meetings.
I salute you.”
As a business owner, a mom, and some other titles that I’ve agreed to, I can fall into the “productive trap.” You know that place where you have be productive all the time? If you are up, you’re working or cleaning. If you are sitting down, you’re checking emails or googling your worries. If you are in the car, you’re thinking about all the things you need to do. And if there is nothing to do, you damn sure can figure out something to do!
The productivity trap is addictive, and it hurts our health and keeps our body in a stressed state. We do not want to live in the stress response!
As a health coach and a fellow productivity addict, I don’t have the answers for you but I do have some ideas and some questions that I’ve been asking myself.
1. What do you want to do? That is, what really lights you up, gets you excited, and leaves you feeling accomplished?
2. How will you say yes in a way that protects your time, energy, and health?
3. What do you not want to do? What drains you and leaves you feeling frustrated?
4. What can you let go? What can you delegate?
5. When is your downtime for today?
This last question is frankly the hardest because we often batch our “downtime.” If we are lucky, we are only getting a portion of the desired time one or maybe two days a week.
That ain’t great, and it doesn’t support our desire to calm our stress response, lower our inflammation, or even just find joy in this one, imperfect life.
I’m taking a cue from this soccer mom, and I’m starting to show up for myself.
Helping you get past all the stuff that is holding you back! 