Nourishing Life Design

NOURISHING LIFE DESIGN FOR OVERWHELMING TIMES

Kate Bathras, CPC, ELI-MP, is an Integrative Energy Coach and ADHD Coach supporting people who want to make a difference in the world and feel fully alive while doing it. She helps her clients slow down to move forward in a potent and inspired way while expanding their capacity for all aspects of life so they can step fully into who they’re meant to be and the work they’re here to do. Learn more at katebathrascoaching.com.

If you’re feeling like life is a bit of a slog these days, you’re not alone. It’s been over a year now that we’ve been living and working amidst the circumstances of a global pandemic, which currently provides the backdrop for all aspects our lives. It’s easy to feel that this “new normal” is something that we should have adjusted to. In many ways we have, of course, resilient and innovative creatures that we are. We keep moving through our days, getting things done as best we can. We sometimes forget to consider the pandemic as one of the reasons we’re overwhelmed or tired, and in these moments, we can feel confused about why we’re not operating at what we perceive to be our full capacity.

Chances are, the stress of these times is impacting you more than you realize.

It may be less obvious than in the early days of sudden fear and disruption, but you’re still likely operating in survival mode much of the time. There is heightened awareness of uncertainty with every decision you make, even when simply deciding which grocery aisle to go down. Previously relaxing or enjoyable tasks come with added layers of complexity and calculation. Not to mention that there are some pretty intense emotions moving through – individually and

collectively – as we process it all. This all impacts your capacity, even when the pandemic isn’t at the forefront of your mind. Imagine a computer with a massive process running in the background, slowing everything else down – it’s like that. And yet, life is still happening. We still have work to do, households to run, income to generate, and relationships to tend to.

The pressure to do it all within this context can feel like a lot.

The good news is, there are ways to nourish yourself and support your energy through seemingly small choices.

Design your days for the experience you want have

Just as good interior design isn’t simply a list of items that go into a space, our days are not comprised merely of the tasks that must be done. It can be so easy during stressful times to reduce our days to the to-do list, though. With a little bit of intention and a splash of creativity, we can transform the experience we’re having as we’re doing what we need to do.

This begins with considering the experience you want to have. How do you want to feel as you move through your day? How do you want to show up for yourself, your loved ones, your clients? Simply put, what are you longing for? During times of widespread hardship, it can be easy to overlook your own desires, telling yourself that you are fine, that others have it worse, and that you should just be grateful and move on. Tending to your own wanting is an important part of nourishing yourself, though, and it directly impacts how you show up for your work and relationships. It provides clarity so that you can move through your day guided by a sense of purpose and direction, just as establishing the desired effect shapes any design process.

Honor your capacity

You wouldn’t start decorating a space without taking measurements, and I don’t recommend launching into all that “must” be done before figuring out your bandwidth for the day or week. The key here is not to use your calendar as your only tool. Before saying “yes” to opportunities, assess your capacity fully, noting what is happening for you physically, energetically, and emotionally. Acknowledge that your needs are likely different during this time than they were before. Perhaps you didn’t used to need a nap every afternoon, but now you do. Or maybe you need more transition time between appointments. It’s possible that tasks are taking longer than they used to, or that you have new responsibilities that you haven’t fully accounted for. Instead of trying to do it all, take inventory of what you’re trying to accomplish and what you truly have the capacity for. Use that information to make choices about what makes it onto your schedule and what needs to go (at least for now).

Check in with yourself throughout each day. Practice being in relationship with your schedule in such a way that allows for honoring your capacity as it waxes and wanes. I’m a big fan of using transitions to take three deep breaths and ask yourself what you need in the present moment. Taking small breaks to assess your energetic and emotional state allows you to tend to your needs as they arise rather than waiting until you’re really shutting down. If you do need to power through a task or meeting, checking in with yourself about how you might expand your capacity beforehand can help. Sometimes a quick walk, a dance break to one song, or a quiet moment is all you need in order to boost your bandwidth to continue with your day.

Add interesting elements into your day

With fewer options for social activities and more of our daily lives happening in front of computer screens, it’s easy to allow our