I love that Stress Awareness Month is in April because it is the beginning of what one of my administrators calls “Ta Da Season”.  For parents, this means that you have all of the events to showcase how your children have grown this year-including awards ceremonies, graduations, concerts, sports end of season parties, and so on.  If you have a neurodivergent child, this can also mean extra stress with IEP meetings, various therapy appointments, and if your children are like mine, they see a disruption in their routine on the horizon and begin acting out at home (or at school).  The unpredictability in your child’s behavior may also be a source of stress for you.  These are all things that I dealt with for many years as we navigated the testing and diagnosis of our children’s ADHD (and additionally severe generalized anxiety for our oldest).  However, I just saw this as life and not as something that could cause harm to my health.  I calmly entered everything into our calendar and my To-Do list each week, and crossed things off as they were completed, but I didn’t actually acknowledge how I was feeling.  Sometimes these special meetings can center on what the child cannot do, what they are not ready for, and so on.  These are important facts that need to be heard, but that doesn’t mean that I do not get to have feelings or concerns.  If I could go back in time, one thing I would do differently is allow myself to process my feelings and give myself permission to feel them all.  Practicing this allows me to better hear the teachers’ concerns, but also be centered to advocate for my children.  

Typically when we hit “Ta Da Season”, everyone buckles up and tries to remember what is happening on what night and hope for the best.  The problem that occurs is there tends to be some late nights, but children are still learning or need to study for exams or final tests.  Some things start falling through the cracks-you were supposed to pick up some cookies for another event and you forgot, for example.  Then stress and guilt start creeping into your day, along with exhaustion.  Then if your child doesn’t do well on a quiz or test, the guilt continues because you should have helped them more.  How are we supposed to keep all of the plates spinning without dropping one?  I have some tips that will help you wrangle that To-Do list back under control:

• Plan long-term: have a family calendar (I recommend Google or some sort of digital calendar you can share with everyone in the family).  Make sure it is updated as soon as you find out about an event and put it on the calendar.  This way, everyone in your family has real-time information.  
• Plan short-term: On Sundays, go through the upcoming week as a family and double check that nothing is missed.  Talk through what is needed for each event, do you need to bring sports uniforms to school or do you have time to go home, and any other pertinent logistic information.  If you are overcommitted, ask a friend or family member for carpool help or change plans.  
• For tests or projects, backwards plan: This is a skill that is underutilized by students, but when they do it, they are considerably more successful!  Put the due date on the calendar then work backwards and assign specific studying or parts of the project to complete every day.  When a child can see what they are supposed to do next, they are more likely to start working instead of avoiding it.  Speaking of procrastinating…
• Use the pomodoro technique to focus: The pomodoro method involves setting a timer for 20-25 minutes and focusing on a task.  After working for 25 minutes, you get to reward yourself with a 5 minute break!  Do this for four rounds and get a 15 minute break!  I was recently introduced to this website with a customizable pomodoro timer and it’s made a huge difference for my family!  Check it out: https://pomofocus.io/
• Meal Prep: I LOVE meal prepping, but I am finding out that not everyone shares my love of not having to think about preparing meals during the week.  Even if you are one of these people, it may be worth considering doing it during super busy weeks to save money on fast food or time.  Meal prepping doesn’t have to take long at all or involve eating the same thing for 5 nights in a row (you certainly can if you want!).  It can be as simple as cooking a lot of chicken, cutting up veggies, and cooking rice or potatoes and then customizing with different sauces or spices every day.   
• Give yourself grace: Even the best-laid plans can lead to mistakes or spinning plates being dropped.  Forgetting something does not affect your self-worth and as a recovering perfectionist, I have to remind myself of this constantly.
• Take care of yourself: make sure that during these busy times, you schedule in some time just for you.  If you need help balancing everything, schedule an appointment with me today at www.creeksidehealthcoaching.com.