Sanctuary Sunday — Giving Yourself Some Peace Back

Episode 45

Resting, Recharging, and Resetting

Hello, and welcome to Sanctuary Sunday, episode 45.

Yesterday, we talked about doing something today that your future self will be thankful for.

And today, I want to take that thought a little bit further.

Sanctuary Sunday is about resting, recharging, and resetting in a way that helps us show up for the week ahead with a little more peace and a little more calm.

And I say the week ahead because your week might not start on a Monday.

Maybe you work weekends, maybe your days off are during the week, maybe your schedule looks completely different.

So think about whatever day your week starts for you.

What could you do before your week begins that would make the next day, or maybe even the rest of your week, a little easier?

What Makes My Week Easier

For me, one of the things is figuring out what I'm going to eat.

If I already know what I'm going to eat or have food ready, that's one less thing I have to think about during the week.

Laundry is another one.

If I can get my laundry done ahead of time, then if I get my laundry done ahead of time, then I know I have clean clothes, and I don't have to worry about trying to fit that into an already busy week.

For you, it might be cleaning something in your house.

Maybe you feel more peaceful when you wake up to a clean kitchen.

Maybe it's laying out your clothes, getting your work bag ready, or making sure you have what you need for the next day.

Give Your Brain Somewhere Else to Put It

But it doesn't even have to be something physical.

Sometimes simply having a plan for your week can bring more peace and clarity.

Because think about how much mental energy it takes trying to keep everything in your head.

What do I need tomorrow?

What appointments do I have?

What do I need from the store?

What do I need to remember for work?

What was that thing I said I wasn't going to forget?

Our brains are already processing so much information throughout the day, and especially with ADHD, working memory can make it harder to hold on to all of those things.

So the more we can get out of our heads and put somewhere else, the less our brain has to keep track of.

Let your calendar remember the appointment.

Let your grocery list remember what you need.

Let your visual board remember who is doing what.

Write things down so your brain doesn't have to keep carrying all that information.

Divide and Conquer

If you have a family, maybe you sit down together and look at the week.

Who needs to be where?

Who is doing what?

What are you eating?

What chores need to get done?

Maybe you put it on a visual board where everybody can see it, or maybe you use an app.

And divide and conquer.

If meal planning is something that takes a lot of time or a lot of energy, or you really just don't enjoy it, maybe everyone gets to pick a meal.

Someone can help with the grocery list, someone else can help with shopping or cooking, whatever works best for your family.

Keep Your Focus Short

And if it's just you, maybe you look at your week and choose three to five things that you really wanna focus on.

And I say three to five things for a reason.

There's something, there's something called a stubby to-do list, and the whole idea is to keep that list short.

Especially with ADHD, prioritizing can be hard because everything can feel like the same priority.

We can also have the now or not now way of looking at things.

Sometimes, either has our attention right now or it can fall off our radar until suddenly it becomes something we have to deal with right now.

So when you have 10, 15 or 20 things sitting in front of you, figuring out where to start can become really overwhelming.

That's why I like keeping the weekly focus to three to five things.

Those are the things you've decided you really want to focus on that week.

That does not mean you can't do anything else.

Of course not.

You absolutely can.

But those three to five things are your focus.

Everything else you get done is a bonus.

Take Some of the Mental Load Off Your Brain

And having that short list means you're already done some of the decision-making ahead of time.

You don't have to keep asking yourself throughout the week:

"What should I be working on?"

"What's important?"

"What am I forgetting?"

You can look at your list and remind yourself:

"These are the things I decided I wanted to focus on this week."

That can take some of the mental load and energy off your brain.

That's really what all of this comes back to, figuring out what works best for your brain and finding ways to support what your brain needs.

Maybe that's the stubby to-do list.

Maybe it's a calendar.

Maybe it's a visual board.

Maybe it's meal planning.

Maybe it's doing your laundry ahead of time.

Maybe it's asking somebody else to help.

And maybe it's simply taking a few minutes to look at your week and decide what matters most.

However that looks for you.

Because a little preparation can give you some of that peace back.

Rest Is Part of Preparing, Too

And remember, resting and recharging are part of preparing for your week, too.

You don't have to spend your entire day off getting ready for the next day.

Maybe one thing is enough.

So on this Sanctuary Sunday, my question for you is:

What can you do before your week begins that could give you a little more peace and a little more calm throughout the week?

Maybe there's something you can do.

Maybe there's something you can write down.

Maybe there's something you can plan.

Or maybe there's something you can ask someone else to help you with.

Find what works for you and your brain, and give yourself some peace back.

Until Next Time

Thank you for spending a little bit of your day with me.

Until next time, I will see you for Momentum Monday.

Until then, I hope today's episode helped you create a little more clarity, feel a little more calm, and have a little more confidence.  💜💚