As back to school season approaches,
Schedules are filling.
And I've been thinking.
We are so good at filling up our calendars.
Let me tell you,
I'm very good at this.
After years of creating environmental restoration programs.
Then,
Hustling and rushing from yoga studio to yoga studio.
Scheduling is in my blood.
Though things have changed somewhat.
I still love an organized calendar.
And if I were to be completely truthful,
I do love a full month.
And when I find myself with two or three unscheduled hours,
I'll somehow invent a cleaning project.
Reorganize a closet,
Or convince myself there's something that urgently needs doing.
It's rarely because anyone needs it.
It's because stillness can still feel unsettling.
So I've been wondering.
Does a full calendar actually make us feel fulfilled?
Or simply productive.
Are we responding to genuinely busy seasons?
Or have we become so accustomed to constant doing?
That we create them ourselves.
And perhaps the bigger question.
Can we build a full life without keeping our nervous systems constantly full too?
Because somehow we're expected to hold it all at once.
The work,
The parenting,
The domestic tasks,
Exercise,
Friendships,
Learning,
Caregiving,
And the invisible emotional labor that rarely makes it onto the calendar.
If finding 10 quiet minutes causes stress,
Something feels out of alignment.
This question arrived for me during the final days of August.
Within a few days,
Much of my September filled with corporate workshops and wellness events.
Many of the teams I'll be working with are navigating mergers,
Restructuring,
Uncertainty,
Longer hours,
And change.
I'm genuinely grateful that these organizations are investing in breathwork,
Mindfulness,
And nervous system education.
I know these short workshops can offer something meaningful.
But I've also been asking myself harder questions.
Can one monthly yoga class meaningfully support someone who's edging toward burnout?
Or would 10 minutes of slow walking outdoors every day create a deeper shift?
Is another lunch and learn always the answer?
Or are there moments when the greatest act of wellness would simply be protecting someone's time?
Perhaps it's not either or.
Perhaps it's both.
The practices matter and so does the culture surrounding them.
And increasingly,
So does how honestly I'm living these practices myself.
With the groups I lead,
And at home with my family.
As the corporate bookings increase.
I find myself wanting to champion these tools of presence and mindfulness.
Alongside bigger conversations about slowing down as a boundary of care for our nervous systems.
Feeling our emotions as a way of making room for more life rather than continually overriding them.
And giving ourselves grace as we face the discomfort of change.
It's a language that feels so needed in some sectors.
And one that might require a pretty significant shift in how we currently operate.
I'm not sure exactly how it'll all look in a corporate setting.
But tonight.
.
.
It looked like canceling my workout at the last minute.
And living the practice myself.
I had planned to exercise.
I had the time.
Technically,
I could have done it.
But when I actually paid attention,
I realized I didn't need another thing to accomplish.
I needed some space.
Because of I'm not finding balance in the spaces between the busy times.
I'll sure have a tough time accessing it when things get fuller.
So I changed my mind.
I let myself be where I really needed to.
At home.
Maybe that's the practice right now.
Not waiting until I desperately need the pause to start making room for one.
So,
A few things I'm experimenting with as September begins.
Leaving some space unclaimed.
An hour,
An evening,
Whatever is realistic.
And resisting the urge to immediately fill it.
Creating tiny transitions between things.
Three minutes outside,
A few slower breaths in the car.
A walk around the block before moving into the next part of the day.
Letting rest replace the plan sometimes.
Even when the plan was technically a healthy one.
Getting outside without making it exercise.
10 minutes of slow walking counts.
Sitting somewhere with a coffee counts.
Letting some discomfort be okay.
Doing things differently can feel uncomfortable,
Especially when productivity is deeply ingrained.
I want to practice tolerating that discomfort.
And model for my daughter that rest,
Space,
And changing your mind are part of taking care of yourself.
Asking before I add something.
Do I really want or need this?
Or am I uncomfortable with the empty space?
None of these are particularly revolutionary.
And maybe that's part of the point.
We don't necessarily need another elaborate practice to help us manage our full lives.
Sometimes we need to examine why they're so full in the first place.
Are we actually faced with busy times?
Or do we sometimes make them so?
My hope is not that asking these questions creates more shame or guilt.
But that it inspires us to return to the basics.
I believe it's the simple things that create a little more space every day that eventually lead to bigger,
Longer lasting changes.
And I'm also aware that we live within systems and cultures that reward busyness,
Productivity,
And pushing through.
Sometimes our nervous systems are taxed,
Not because we haven't learned how to regulate them.
But because our boundaries,
Schedules,
And environments are asking too much of us.
So I'm staying curious about where I can create space for rest and regulation.
But also where I can expand my capacity.
Because these tools are for more than staying calm.
They help us rest when rest is needed.
But they also help us stay with stress,
Change,
Full lives,
And yes,
Spicy schedules.
September will still be full for me.
There's work I'm excited about,
People I want to see,
Things I want to learn and do and make.
I just don't want fullness to automatically mean depletion.
A full calendar doesn't require a full nervous system.
And maybe September is a good time to practice that.
