It doesn’t take much for my life to feel out of sorts or just completely overwhelming. A day that began a little too early with my feisty four-year-old. A rushed morning routine, scrambling to get kids out the door on time. A perpetually cluttered house. A hefty bill that’s sat on the counter for two weeks. An empty gas tank and time I didn’t factor in to fill it up. You get the idea. 

It’s funny how little it takes to throw me off course; to convince myself my life is in dire need of a complete overhaul. “This isn’t working! Something needs to change.” I hear myself utter out in defeat after a few consecutive hard days. I’d like to think I’m not the same dramatic girl I was at sixteen, refusing to get out of bed because of a stupid boy or an untimely zit. But I guess some attributes are hard to shake because I still carry the tendency to blow things wildly out of proportion when it comes to lacking rhythm in my life.

What I’m learning, however, is that just as it doesn’t take much to knock me off-kilter, it also doesn’t take much to get me back on track.

What I’m learning, however, is that just as it doesn’t take much to knock me off-kilter, it also doesn’t take much to get me back on track. Yes, my house has been annoyingly cluttered all week, but maybe it doesn’t mean I need to get a side gig so I can afford to hire a house cleaner. Maybe I just need to establish built-in time each day that allows room for decluttering the dining table and wiping down countertops. I mentioned a few weeks ago that we haven’t been in a sweet spot with homeschooling for the past few months. If I’m being honest, I cannot tell you how often this realization has caused me to wonder if homeschooling is still the right call. If I should just throw in the towel and put my oldest back in public school. While there may come a day when public school truly is the best option, I don’t think making it the default because we’ve lost some of the magic at home is a wise choice either. 

Last fall and throughout most of the winter, I felt incredibly off-kilter. I had lost a lot of the rhythms that make life not only tolerable but enjoyable. And this Spring, I am slowly bringing them back. I don’t know how balanced this season feels for you. Maybe you are also feeling a little bit like things aren’t working anymore. Like it’s either too much or not enough. I would love to share some of my weekly anchors — the little things that keep me grounded. 

If your life is lacking any form of steady rhythm, I wouldn’t recommend changing everything all at once. Pick one thing this week, and then once it starts to become a habit, maybe add something else. 

Here are some of the little changes I’ve made that have had the biggest impact on my (our) week and my mental health: 

• Homeschooling around the dining table every morning. It’s given my boys some sense of consistency and kept them (mostly) undistracted by all their stuff upstairs.

• Making sure I eat breakfast every morning 

• Building in time to exercise MWF (S.O. to my workout buddies who help hold me accountable!)

• Staying off my phone until I’ve had my quiet time (except for worship music)

• Setting aside Friday to be at home, clean, and do laundry/prep for the Sabbath (we don’t do school on Fridays, either)

• Friday evening communion and family movie night (favorite part of the week, hands down) 

• Saturday Sabbath (we protect our family/free time as much as we can on this day)

• Weekly home date night with Matt (we keep it simple, but we make it a priority)

• Giving the boys my attention in the mornings so I don’t feel guilty when I have to get work done in the afternoon (typically when their cups are filled, they are better at entertaining themselves later on) 

• Prioritizing our weekly life group 

• Prepping for co-op (or fill in the blank) the night before to help the morning run more smoothly 

• Creating a meal plan and ordering groceries at the same time every week 

• Praying with Matt after the boys go to bed and before work every morning 

There are other changes I would love to make (daily quiet hour, more time set aside for creative pursuits, less TV for River in early mornings, etc.). I still get overwhelmed and some days I can’t seem to shake the stress no matter how much structure I have set in place. But what I can say is this — each of these anchors in my week has been a breath of fresh air and a simple solution to what often feels like an insurmountable struggle. 

I hope you found this helpful! I’d love to hear some of your rhythms and anchors that keep you grounded.