three steps to calm the worry

Adjusting to three kids has been a lot harder than two.  Most days I feel like I’ve got the day figured out, but other days I question everything I do.  Nova is almost 2 months old now and as sweet as can be.  Hunter and Zoe adore her.  She doesn’t even know how into her they are.  I couldn’t have asked for an easier baby, yet I still find myself struggling.  I struggle to find balance.  I shared more about this in a recent newsletter, but I noticed myself beginning to feel anxious on certain days when I taught in the evenings.  Nothing major, just more worry in my head about making sure everything was getting done and people were sleeping and eating when they needed to be doing those things.  I wanted everything done on a schedule so that I’d feel like I had it together when the time came for Nova and I to leave for the evening, because everything including leaving the house takes longer with a baby.

  
The worry wasn’t fun, but instead of drowning in my struggle, I decided to take action.  

Step 1) figure out where the worry stems from

The biggest worry and stressor came at dinner time.  I love cooking, but worrying that I would have to try and hold a baby or entertain toddlers while needing to chop and cook was the challenge.

Step 2) create an action plan

I realized meal prep was needed.  If I could eliminate a lot of the prep work and all I had to do was cook the meal, I wouldn’t stress as much.  It would give me the opportunity to cook more easily earlier in the day if I wanted to as well.  I made a meal plan, wrote out my grocery list and a list of things to prep.

Step 3) put plan into action 

I bought groceries one day, then the next day I spent the afternoon prepping foods to make my life easier, and it worked! It totally alleviated my worry and made my life so much easier when dinner time rolled around.  Here’s a list of what I made one week:

• Baked granola for breakfasts/snacks 
• Baked chicken breasts and thighs for lunches and a dinner and diced after cooling (marinated in Italian dressing, ketchup, avocado oil, garlic, sea salt and pepper)
• Sautéed 2 lb of ground beefalo (1 lb used last night for spaghetti which I added a jar of sauce to once I separated it, the other to be used for burrito bowls)
• Prepped Thai zucchini beefalo meatballs to be cooked
• Grated an extra zucchini to add to pancakes for one or two breakfasts
• Made peanut butter fudge cups
• Roasted a full sheet of diced sweet potatoes for breakfasts/lunches
• Diced fruit for snacks/lunches (strawberries and cantaloupe)
• Sliced bell peppers for snacks/dinner
• Cut up broccoli so it’s ready to steam for a dinner
• Chopped lettuce for dinner salads
• Diced salami for the pizza dinner
• Made kale chips for that night

  
When I am struggling in whatever the situation may be, I find taking an action always helps. I feel better when I do something instead of nothing and continuing to worry and become more anxious.  Hooray for taking action!

Can you relate?  Do you have a situation you need to tackle with these three steps?

Heather