It’s summertime!! Wahoo!! 

School is out for most kiddos and their teachers. That can mean a lot of fun & play, more downtime, more flexibility, and more responsibility minute by minute, for a lot of women. For many women that I’ve worked with, it also means that their self-care gets put on the back burner, or even becomes non-existent. Most of us know that after a while there will be fallout to this. It can mean you’re exhausted, less than patient, or even irritable. If you’re juggling work as well, then you know that even your work or productivity will be negatively impacted, too. 

I’ve had plenty of moms tell me “Moms just don’t get sleep” or “Moms don’t have time for self-care”. There seems to be a prevalence in some cultures that being selfless is to be revered. While I believe in selflessness, I also have great concerns about being “self-less”. For many, we really do lose ourselves in the service of others. We neglect ourselves. We are run-ragged. For some, who may be farther down the codependency continuum, this may even turn into martyrdom. That’s not good either. 

I certainly have had my days when I gave too much! When I sacrificed myself for waaaay too long, and as a result, I was so depleted that I have nothing left to give- anyone! My adrenals were shot. I mean they were SHOT. I had to take cortisol supplementation. And, I don’t mean a little herb for boost, I mean cortisol. Sadly, I see a lot of women today with significant adrenal stress and dysfunction. And it’s not just peri-menopausal women. I see young moms in their 30s whose adrenals are a mess too.

Supporting your self-care with floors With summer here, I’d love to share a great tool that really supports self-care even for super busy women. In fact, I’d say that these “floors” are critical when life is more stressful. So, what is a “floor”? 

Whether it is creating a super fun summer for our families, starting a new wellness goal, or working on a project at work, I know that we all have our dreams of what “awesome” might look like. We may have great self-care rituals or routines when there’s more structure during the school year. But how do we keep consistent during the summer? If we can’t keep up “awesome” every day because let’s be real, life does happen, and keeping up awesome every day is hard, we may just stop our goals or self-care rituals altogether! How can we be consistent without being perfect?  

Create a “floor”!! Stephen Guise teaches this concept in his book “how to be an imperfectionist”. As I mentioned above, we have our “awesome”, shoot-for-the-stars kind of goals or ambitions, but they are hard to sustain. Guise refers to these as “ceilings”. What if we had a “floor” version. “Ceilings” are the very best version of the goal, the ideal, the version that you can do occasionally when things seem to flow just right. A “ceiling” can be raised once you master your new habit at one level, and want to take it up to a new level of mastery. “Floors” on the other hand are the rock bottom, foundation, the 1-minute version that can be done when you’re super busy. 

Let me give you an example of a floor for self-care. What if you want to do Yoga every day, but suddenly life is really chaotic and your time goes out the window. What if you’re in a hotel room and traveling or you’re hosting guests that happen during the summer. What then? Well, what if you had a “floor” for your yoga self-care goal. If you stopped and did 3 “cat-cows” or did some deep diaphragmatic breathing for one minute, that would at least support calming your nervous system and /or provide some flexibility as you move your body. 

Here’s another – you may want to walk each day, but your schedule has been sabotaged for the day. Instead of just giving up for the day, or the week or the month, how about a floor. A floor, if it’s less than 1 minute, might be walking to get the mail. Or it might be doing some jumping jacks or something! Get the picture? 

If you have been eating a healthier clean diet with a nice green drink but on your travels or during a hectic summer, how can you keep up a good habit? Instead of abandoning in hopelessness or overwhelm, you can bring a powdered healthy green drink on vacation, or grab a drink in the am. They can be refreshing, support your hormone metabolism and create a nice alkaline state for your body. In my opinion, this is a big ROI for such a little floor. Click here for Mighty Maca, the one that I recommend and personally use. 

Now, if you want to increase your efforts, you can certainly do a “stair” which is in-between a floor and ceiling. Instead of a 30-minute walk, or 1-minute beeline to the mailbox, perhaps it’s a 15-minute walk. I have created a “floor” for every single self-care ritual that I have. Trust me, the consistency has proven to be so beneficial, especially during the more chaotic or stressful times. I don’t feel bottomed out. I’m able to maintain self-care and be grounded. Is it ideal? No. But at least I’m getting a few drops in my cup for the day. The next day, or when I get back from travel, I can increase my efforts to “stairs’ or “ceilings”. Ah… those days when I can do the ideal are awesome! If you want to learn more about “floors and ceilings” from my mentor coach Brooke Snow, then tune into her great podcast. My Women, Wisdom and Wellness podcast will be coming soon. 😉 

Please, take the time for some self-care. Your loved ones, even your co-workers, if you work, need the LIFE SOURCE that you provide. You really do provide that for them. YOU are the only one that can give them the precious feminine life-sourcing energy they crave and need. If you have a man in your life, ask him. He’ll tell you – yes! Notice your kids when you spend time with them or really listen. They need the best you have to give, so please care for yourself and your body. When you do, you can enjoy the fun times that summer has to offer, too.

Here’s to you creating the Vitality You Crave!