Life with kids feels like you’re in a never-ending drag race. But what if you could create some extra breathing space in your life so it doesn’t feel like everything’s zooming forward at full speed? Learn how to create cushions so you can hit the pause button and slow down a bit.

Podcast Version

Below is the podcast version of this article. The podcast explains things so much better than a blog post. I invite you to listen and also hear some examples and enjoy some laughs! Subscribe to the Podcast by opening your favorite podcast app and typing “Balanced Working Moms” into the search or click here for a link to the podcast on iTunes.

Making Space

Let’s be talk about something that’s not discussed often.

Making space.

• Making space between things that are in your calendar.
• Making space between transitioning from work to home.
• Making space before jumping into bed at night.

We’re very busy people and we’re always “on the go” but when we don’t make space, we suffer.

We can’t ever relax when we’re running from one thing to the next thing without giving ourself space.

You need to add space and cushions to your day so you can de-stress and feel like a human being.

What Does it Mean to Create Space?

First, When you create space, you don’t schedule things back to back.

This is the most basic definition of this concept and later, we’ll go into it more deeply.

But let’s talk about space in our schedule, first.

I’ll give you a great example of this. When I first started coaching, I didn’t realize how much space I had to give myself.

I remember one evening I scheduled two or three appointments and I had 15 minutes in between each one.

Well, for whatever reason the calls lasted longer and I had no breaks in between.

I was SO HUNGRY!! I wanted to run to the kitchen and grab something to eat, but I had no time.

I didn’t create enough space.

Where do you do this with your life?

Maybe you schedule a doctor’s appointment right after a meeting at work, so you’re rushed to get to the appointment.

We all do this, sometimes by accident, sometimes by thinking things will be quicker than they turn out to be.

Creating space in between things on our calendar is so important for our physical and emotional heath.

What Happens When You Don’t Create Space?

When you don’t create space, you get stressed out, don’t you?

You’re rushing to make it to your appointment, and then you hit traffic.

This creates more stress than you need in your life.

Start noticing when you schedule things too close to each other so you can start easing up on your schedule.

For me, I changed my calendar settings and it automatically forces a half hour break between calls.

Pretty spiffy when we can make technology work for us like that, isn’t it?

Creating Transitions

Now let’s talk about the deeper meaning of making space.

Because making space in your schedule is only part of it.

The bigger part is making space between transitions in your life.

For example, between
-work and home
-going to sleep

It’s about transitioning between anything you’re doing and the next thing.

Too often, we jump from one thing to the next.

We leave work and go right to taking care of our kids
We jump from dinner to doing homework without cleaning up
We go from watching TV while scrolling Social Media, to bed.

These sudden transitions also create incredible amounts of stress.

What Will You Create Space For?

We all have different things that stress us out.

Think about something in your life that creates stress for you.

And then ask yourself, how can I create space or a transition so that this becomes less stressful?

Find a way to create the space you need.

And then notice what an effect it has on your life. Does it help your stress level go way down?

I’m excited for you to create this space and enjoy the balance it creates in your life.

With Love,
Rina