Before I experience it anywhere else, I feel it in my chest. I wake up in the morning to an anxious tightening in my lungs that makes it hard to breathe. And it’s as if my body knows before my brain does that

I am overwhelmed.

I can’t see the forest for the trees. I know I have a lot to do. Only, I can’t figure out what to focus on or accomplish first. I may not even know what day it is.

For me, these experiences and feelings are my first clues that my routine is off. That my life has fallen off its axis, and everything is out of balance. But also, that I need to try and find a doable equilibrium again soon. 

Since March, many of us have been operating outside our normal routine. It’s become difficult to do things the way we normally do them. There are things we now have to do that we’ve never had to before. All the while, feeling anxiety, stress, grief, concern, and so many other emotions over and over.

2020 has been/is a lot.

I know I didn’t need to say that. But sometimes we need to be reminded that we are still living in an “unprecedented time” so we can give ourselves grace when we feel like we are constantly running without covering any ground. We need to acknowledge we are living through something hard so we can shift our expectations—for ourselves and others. And to do that—today I want to share a few tell tale signs that our routines are off.

Sometimes we need to be reminded that we are still living in an “unprecedented time” so we can give ourselves grace.

Just one of these things may be a clue we’re stretching ourselves too thin. But, if you’re experiencing more than two of the following, it’s probably a good time to take a step back and re-evaluate what is going on in your life. I will talk more about how to do this next week, but in the meantime,

Do any of these sound familiar?

You feel overwhelmed almost every morning.

Before you get out of bed each day, you already have a long list of things you have to do.

You find yourself reaching for more—caffeine, sugar, comfort food, etc.

Sometimes, you’re doing this without even realizing it. Other times, you know you’re not hungry but you’re hoping that extra latte or cookie will fill a different kind of hunger in you.

Your friends ask to hang out, but you keep telling them you’re “too busy.”

It’s become your standard response. Yeah, we’re in “the time of COVID,” but somehow your friends are still on FaceTime or meeting in Parks to get together. Only, you can’t seem to get your head above water, let alone find the time to do more than text.

You don’t know when the last time you went to the doctor/dentist/etc.

Forget the doctors—even regular self care is hard right now.

You don’t know when you last exercised or got outside.

You walked to your car the other day and realized you forgot what fresh air smells like.

You can’t focus.

There are so many things to do, think or care about these days—that it is hard to prioritize what is most important and crucial for you do worry about “right now.”

You can’t sleep.

(see “extra latte”)

You feel tired all the time. 

(See “no sleep,” see “extra latte”).

You feel like you are barely floating on the surface of your life.

You’re reacting to what is happening all around you, instead of being proactive and moving toward the things that matter most to you. You long to feel grounded.

Come back next week for how to begin rebuilding your routines.

Do any of these sound familiar?

What other clues or warning signs tell you, you need to get your routines back on track?

Feeling a little adrift in this strange, new normal of being at home? Sign up for my email list and get your free copy of my Social Distancing Survival Guide: Everyday Routines. Sign up here.

Photo by Eutah Mizushima on Unsplash