Before Christmas, I suffered with about 5 colds in 3 months and had reached rock bottom – I was trying to learn a new role in a big organisation whilst juggling the responsbilities of parenting. I think I must have slept through September and October because they are a blur in my memory. I was coasting.

I knew that I needed to change some things and some of these things needed to be drastic in order for it to feel like I’m actually a human being who can cope!

• I started taking vitamins – the WellWoman multivitamins, one table a day, to try and boost my immune system and improve my energy levels.
• I upted my water game, drinking at least 1 litre a day
• I dramatically changed my eating habits – a cold turkey routine of no snacks (other than fruit or veg) and reduced my caffeine intake.

However, I knew that eating and drinking properly wouldn’t solve the juggling and trying to be in 2 places at the same time.

Something had to give.

An honest conversation with my employer reassured me that there were no expectations around working hours and truly I was putting the pressure on myself, so I started to say no more.

• If I had a day working from home in the diary, I stuck to it and joined meetings remotely.
• I ensured I left promptly even if it meant leaving a meeting early to make sure I wasn’t rushing in rush hour to get back to Little PB.

No-one blinked at any of this – it was all considered to be the means to an end when you are a working parent.

But most importantly, I asked for help. I realised that I am not invincible and there are family and friends who want to help, particularly if you are struggling.

In addition to all of this, I realised that what I was missing was time for myself and given I didn’t want to sacrifice time with Little PB either side of work, I needed to create that time either before Little PB wakes up or after he has gone to bed.

I did both.

Mr PB gets up around 5.30am to get ready for work. So I got up at the same time too.

• Whilst he makes coffee and eats breakfast, I wash my face. I find washing my face as soon as I wake up, helps me stay awake. It also gives me a surge of energy and gives me proper time to enjoy the process too.
• I make myself a tea and whilst its brewing, I’ll do some stretches, perhaps do some hinching and feed the cats (I like my tea strong so I leave it to brew for a good few minutes)
• Whilst Mr PB is in the shower, I climb back into bed and read – I will read from Simple Abundance, a page a day book, and a chapter of my Mindfulness in a Frantic World book.
• Once Mr PB leaves for work around 6am, I jump in the shower and have at least 40 minutes to make the bed and get myself ready for work before Little PB wakes up.
• I don’t look at my phone until 7am at the earliest and deleting the Instagram app during the week has certainly minimised the draw for mindless scrolling

But in order to have an effective morning routine, my evening routine is where it starts.

• I will head to bed around 9.30pm.
• In addition to the usual skincare routine, I will get my clothes ready for the next day and pack my bag.
• I will also write my to-do list for the following day , reviewing my meetings and the top 3 things I want to achieve. This helps me sleep better, knowing what I have ahead of me – I appreciate that some people prefer not to know!
• I’ve also created a evening routine station on my dressing table – eye cream, moisturiser for my feet, hands and face, cuticle oil, sleep oil, lip balm & sleep spray.

Climbing into bed around 9.45pm, I read a chapter of my book and drift off. Unless Lilttle PB stirs in the night, I will comfortably sleep through until 5.30am.

By giving myself this time both in the morning and evening has transformed my energy levels and focus during the day as well as my overall mood.

I hope this helps to inspire some of you who perhaps feel somethings needs to change

We are all here for each other

x PB x