Our lives have been in a constant state of flux since the beginning of this year. Each time something changed I’d say to myself “things are only busy and chaotic right now, when XYZ happens things will calm down…”
Its December now, and life has yet to settle down. I’m having to face the reality that it might never slow down. The only thing that can get better is our ability to handle it all. We partnered with Dunkin’ Donuts today to share some of our best tips for when life gets chaotic and busy (every day).
Number one is making sure you are fueled up well with actual food and copious supplies of coffee. I can’t tell you how many times in the past month I’ve found myself getting sleepy and realized it’s because I didn’t have anything with protein in it for my breakfast.
Enter: the Dunkin’ Donuts Sweet Black Pepper Bacon Sandwich
Y’all, this sandwich is all kinds of amazing with it’s peppery-sweet bacon, the crescent roll, eggs and yummy cheese! Partner that with the Dunkin’ Donuts ice coffee we all love (in the HUGE cup), hashbrowns, and some munchkin donuts and you’ve got a very happy woman!
This week has been one crazy event after another. I’ve had work deadlines, we’ve had school parties, book exchanges, a going-away-party for a friend, last day of winter semester special lunch with the kids, the new Star Wars movie came out (priorities!), we had two evening Christmas events with the kids…and honestly, a whole lot more.
One day this week I decided I was going to jet out for a few minutes on my own. I needed some space to breathe if I was going to keep knocking out everything we had to do this week. I found myself at Dunkin’ Donuts and realized I could solve a whole lot of my problems at one time. I got my tasty breakfast complete with coffee AND a protein dense sandwich. I picked up an orange juice for my daughter who was at home with daddy since her throat was sore AND a dozen donuts to share with the family.
There were so many festive choices, every one was excited to pick out their favorites! I don’t know that I’ve ever brought home a full dozen before, but I did that day! The kids were ecstatic!
I love that the Dunkin’ Donuts menu stays around all day, so even if I’m not able to get away until late in the afternoon, it can still be my stop for a little bit of sanity, a whole lot of coffee and a delicious Sweet Black Pepper Bacon Sandwich.
It helps so much just to take a minute and refuel both body and mind!
More ways to calm your chaos in the middle of a busy week
- Make sure you are eating well
- Take a moment to yourself to breathe (change scenery if you can)
- Drop everything and go do something fun – It might seem silly to you that in my list of the crazy amount of things we have to do this week, that I included a movie. I know it doesn’t seem like that should rank very high on the priority list, but I’ve found it’s essential to include things like this in your priorities. Scheduling time out with friends, and doing non-work things that you love is the only way to keep from becoming burnt out and frustrated with all the work you have to get done!
- Do something active – If the things on your plate have you running from place to place, then you might not need this as much as I do. Most of my tasks involve sitting at a computer, or sitting and watching my kids perform in their Christmas productions (or sitting and watching the aforementioned movie). There’s not much action there. Find a way to involve physical activity in your day, even if it’s just a quick walk around the block or doing a 10 minute exercise video on youtube. It will help your mood and even your ability to concentrate on the tasks ahead.
- STOP and spend some time giggling with your kids – I know this seems like such a small thing, but in the middle of chaos and the busiest of days, dropping everything to hunt down the kiddos in the house and read a story, or have a pillow fight or dance to some silly songs means the world to them. It can be just 5 minutes, but find a way to connect with them. It will make everyone’s day a lot better.
As I look at the week ahead, I know that Christmas is just 7 days away. I’ve yet to write our Christmas letter or mail cards. The kids will be home all week, which means lots of fun but also less time to work. I am waiting on the last two (maybe 3) shipments of Christmas gifts to come in so that I can wrap everything all at once. We have Christmas cookies to make and lights to drive around and see (preferably with a mug of hot cocoa). We have a non-stop week during this “break” from school. But I’m not stressed, because we’ll be together, and we’ll have fun in the middle of the chaos. We always do!
How do you find balance on a day/week/year that’s non-stop chaos? Share your tips with me in the comments and then find the closest Dunkin’ Donuts, drive through and pick up a yummy sandwich and coffee!
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