22. My Kid is Sick But I "Need" to Work: The Working Mom’s Guide to Sick Season
Are you a working mom or mom entrepreneur struggling to navigate the endless sick season? Do you feel like you're dropping all the balls as you juggle client calls, rescheduling presentations, and caring for your little ones? I get it. The stress, the guilt, and feeling like you're falling behind are real, and it's incredibly tough to deal with.
But here's the thing: you are not failing. You're doing the most important job in the world, being there for your kids, while also pursuing your dreams. Whether you're in corporate or running your own show, sick kids throw a wrench in everyone's plans. It's time to normalize this experience and give yourself some grace.
Tune in this week as I share practical tips and helpful mindset shifts to help you survive this sick season without losing your mind or your momentum. You’ll learn how to embrace the ebb and flow, redefine success, and find hidden opportunities in the chaos. Plus, I've got some tactical strategies to keep things moving forward, even when it feels like everything's at a standstill.
If you're looking for the right environment to start your networking journey, look no further than my group, the Mom Entrepreneurs Circle. Sign up below for mutual support, advice sharing, and the tools you need for both you and your business to thrive. We meet on the 2nd Thursday of each month and participation is totally free!
What You’ll Learn from this Episode:
Why embracing the ebb and flow of sick season is crucial for your sanity.
How to redefine success and give yourself grace during challenging times.
The importance of practicing self-compassion and treating yourself like your best mom friend.
How to plan ahead and create micro-tasks to keep your work moving forward.
Why the good enough principle is your secret weapon during sick season.
How to prioritize self-care, from sleep and nutrition to mental health.
The power of giving yourself something to look forward to during a challenging sick season.
Listen to the Full Episode:
Featured on the Show:
Click here for step-by-step instructions to leave a rating and review to let me know what you think, and don’t forget to share the podcast with others who you think would benefit!
Full Episode Transcript:
Hi moms, I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful fall weather that’s upon us. The kids have been back to school for a month or two now, which means a couple of things. Yes, we may be back to a routine, but we’re also navigating the endless sick season.
So today we’re talking about a topic that I know is hitting close to home right now, navigating the dreaded sick season as a working mom. And you know the drill, the kids are finally back in school. You’ve got your routine down and you’re ready to tackle those big goals you’ve set for yourself that just couldn’t get done over the summer and then bam, a cough here, a fever there and suddenly your carefully planned days are turned completely upside down.
And whether you’re juggling client calls or trying to reschedule that big presentation because your little one needs you. I get it. The stress, the guilt, the feeling like you’re dropping all the balls, it’s real and it’s tough. But here’s the thing, you are not failing, you’re not falling behind, you’re doing the most important job in the world, being there for your kids while also pursuing your dreams. And today we’re going to talk about how to do both without losing your mind or your momentum.
Welcome to How to Quit Your Job: A Mom’s Guide to Creating a Life and Business You Love. It’s a podcast that helps working moms just like you, optimize your time, manage your mind, and start a business that helps you create more freedom, flexibility, and, yes, fun. I’m business and mindset coach Jenna Rykiel. And I offer practical tips to help you ditch the nine-to-five. I have been exactly where you are and I know what it takes to make the transition without trading one form of burnout for another. So, let’s get started.
I’m going to give you practical tips and a few helpful mindset shifts that will help you survive the sick season. But let’s start by normalizing the experience, because whether you’re in corporate or running your own show, sick kids throw a wrench in everyone’s plans. For my entrepreneur moms out there, you’ve blocked out your day, you’re ready to crush those client projects, or finally work on that course you’ve been dreaming up, then your little one wakes up with a fever, and suddenly your office is the couch.
Your laptop is balanced precariously as you try to work, while comforting a clingy, snotty nose sick child. You’re probably the default parent because you work from home, so everything falls on you, the doctor’s appointments, the medicine schedules, the endless requests for snuggles and juice. And let’s be real, there’s that nagging feeling that your business is at a standstill. All that momentum you are building, it feels like it’s slipping away with every day your kiddo is home sick. I get it.
And for my corporate moms, you’re in the middle of a crucial meeting when your phone buzzes. It’s the school nurse, your heart sinks and you realize you need to drop everything and pick up your sick kid. The mental gymnastics begin. How many sick days have you already taken? Will your team think you’re not committed if you have to cancel another meeting? There’s that awful moment when you have to message your boss requesting yet another day off, feeling like you’re letting the whole team down.
And truly for all of us, remember how excited we all were when school started, thinking that finally there was a chance to get stuff done and then wham, not only is your kid home and needier than ever, but now you’re coming down with it too. Hello, mom immune system. So, the guilt, it’s a constant companion and it’s constantly whispering that you’re not doing enough at work, you’re not doing enough for your kids, just not doing enough, period. But here’s what I want you to remember. Everything that’s happening, all of this is normal. This is part of the journey and you are doing a great job, even though I know it doesn’t feel like it, I promise.
Like I said before, you’re doing the most important work in the world, taking care of those little humans that we love so much. Now that we have acknowledged the reality, let’s talk about how we can actually make this season a little more manageable. And I want to talk about a few mindset shifts. So, I want us to reframe sick season by first embracing the ebb and flow. Life, business and parenting are not linear. There are seasons of productivity and seasons of rest, and sick season, well, it’s a season of care. Instead of fighting against it, try to lean into it. This is your time to show up for your family in a different way.
And for my entrepreneurs out there, having flexibility to care for your kid during these unexpected sick periods is part of the reason you wanted to own your own business, so embrace it. It doesn’t feel as sexy in the moment, but give yourself grace and cuddle up with that snotty critter and watch Frozen for the 73rd time this week.
The second thing I want you to do to make this season a little bit more manageable is redefine success. On sick days success might look like keeping your child comfortable or managing to answer a few emails in between naps. It’s not about how much you get done. It’s about showing up in a way that feels authentic to you. Make sure that how you measure success is not defined by how others might see you. I’m only worried about how you see you at the end of the day. So, trust yourself and lean into what you know you and your family need, not necessarily what your boss, co-workers or the business needs in this moment.
The other thing is, I want you to practice self-compassion. You wouldn’t judge another mom for taking care of her sick kid, so don’t judge yourself. Treat yourself like you would your best mom friend, give yourself the same compassion.
The next thing I want to talk about is actually hidden opportunities in sick season. So, these slower days can be a chance to really reassess your priorities. Maybe you’ll realize some tasks aren’t as crucial as you thought. Maybe you’ll delete some tasks entirely from your week. Use this time also to brainstorm or plan. Sometimes our best ideas come when we’re forced to slow down.
And the last little mindset shift that I want to offer is to remember that this too shall pass. It might feel never ending in the moment, but kids do get better and routines do return. Each time you navigate this challenge, you are building resilience and problem solving skills that are going to serve you in all areas of life so, hunker down and know that it’s not forever, I promise.
Now that we’ve got our minds in the right place, let’s talk about tactics. How we keep things moving forward even when it feels like everything’s at a standstill. The most critical tool that you have going into sick season is to plan out your weeks thoroughly. I know this sounds counterintuitive knowing that everything could go down the drain when you get that call from school or daycare. But trust me, having a plan and then shifting is much easier than not having a plan at all.
In episode 12 we talked about how to better manage your to-do list by scheduling when you actually do the tasks. And in episode 18 we talked about how to manage the larger brain heavy work that you need complete focus on. Please go back to those episodes for refreshers. You can go to jenna.coach/12 and jenna.coach/18 to revisit them. But I want you to use those tools to know what the most important things are to get done going into the week. This helps you to do a few things if you get that dreaded call from daycare.
It allows you to create micro tasks and prioritize. You can look at that list of to-do’s that you had to get done today and decide that in these new circumstances it’s most important that two of the things get done. And the other 13 can wait until Friday or next week. For the big projects that you wanted to get done during the two hours of focus time you had scheduled, go ahead and break it down into micro tasks and complete one micro task while your little one is napping rather than having the expectation of completing the entire project. Flexibility is going to be your superpower in this season.
I recommend planning ahead for the worst. I’m a plan for the worst, hope for the best type person. So, you may want to create even a sick day plan for your business or work. What are the absolute essentials that need to happen this week, what can wait? Maybe you even have a schedule that is aligned with if everything goes to plan and maybe you have a secondary plan B schedule if somebody in the house gets sick.
Another easy tool to build into the week is blocking off a couple of hours with nothing planned so that you can always shift some work tasks to that time if you end up needing to rearrange your whole schedule. So maybe it’s a time where your partner or parents can lean in and help so you can get some of the work you missed out on in the day completed. For my corporate moms, talk to your boss about flexible arrangements in advance. If they have kids, they know how this season goes, but if they don’t, it may be good to let them know what to expect and what your role is in pick-ups and such.
Talk about options like logging in after bedtime to catch up on things. And try to come up with plans in advance so neither of you feel caught off guard when school calls. This is a great time to also leverage your network. This is the time to call in favors. Maybe another mom can pick up assignments for your kid. And maybe a colleague can cover a meeting. If you’re the default parent, it might be worth having a conversation with your partner about if and when they can help out. So maybe they’re able to take the kid to one of the doctor’s appointments while you get some work done at home for that hour of time. It’s worth having a conversation to see if there are ways that you can support each other.
The other thing is that technology is your friend. If you’re someone who waits until the morning of, to craft and send the weekly updates, email or the newsletter to your followers, make it a point to prepare it in advance and schedule the email. The same thing goes with social media posts as well. You can schedule them in advance when nobody is sick and plan ahead in case you get that dreaded call.
Waiting until the last minute may have been working, but knowing that any day could be a day where you have to tend to your sick kid means that it’s essential to prep as much as you can in advance when everybody feels good. And the beautiful thing is that technology allows for that to happen seamlessly. You can schedule emails in Google. You can schedule posts in LinkedIn and Instagram. You can really set yourself up for success later in the week and make sure that things are being taken care of in advance, again, when you’re feeling 100%.
The last tip I want to talk about is the good enough principle. And I’ve talked about this before, but it’s always going to be worth mentioning again. Perfectionism has no place in sick season. So, I want you to adopt the good enough mindset. That email doesn’t need to be perfect. That presentation doesn’t need to have all the bells and whistles. The good enough principle is all about letting go of perfectionism and focusing on what’s truly essential. It’s about recognizing that sometimes done is better than perfect.
The good enough principle isn’t about lowering your standards permanently. It’s about adapting to challenging circumstances and giving yourself grace. It’s recognizing that your best looks different on different days, and that’s perfectly okay. By embracing good enough, you’re not just getting things done. You’re also modeling resilience and adaptability. You’re showing your kiddos that it’s okay to adjust expectations when life throws curveballs. So, the next time you find yourself stressing over the details during sick season, take a deep breath and ask yourself, is this good enough for now? And I promise, chances are it is.
We’ve talked about mindset and practical tools, but let’s not forget the most important piece of the puzzle, which is you, taking care of yourself isn’t selfish, it’s absolutely necessary. So, here’s how to make it happen, a couple of things. Number one, prioritize sleep. I know, this is easier said than done when you’re up all night with a sick kid, but whenever you can choose sleep over that extra hour of work. Consider taking shifts with your partner if possible so at least one of you gets a solid block of rest. And if you’re a single parent, there’s no shame in taking a nap when your kid naps as well. Sleep when the baby sleeps, they say.
The second thing is, I want you to nourish your body, keep healthy, easy to grab snacks on hand, cut veggies, nuts, protein bars and stay hydrated. Set reminders if you need to, but keep that water flowing. My family is an Owala family, I can’t recommend these water bottles enough. They’re so easy to carry around and have become what we call our emotional support water bottles because we often carry them around even when we don’t need them or we’re not drinking from them.
Nourishing your body also means moving your body, especially on days that your schedule is completely trashed. Even if it’s just some gentle yoga or stretching while the little one naps, be sure that you keep moving your body in a way that takes care of yourself.
The third thing is, tap into your network and connect with other moms. We talked about tapping into your network as some of the practical tools that you can do, but in the self-care management, sometimes reaching out to your mom friends and knowing you’re not alone in this struggle can be incredibly comforting. Trust me, everyone is feeling it this season, so reach out, share your frustrations. And I’m sure you’ll feel less alone after hearing about all the diseases your sister or besties’ kids have been navigating.
The other thing is similar to what I shared about good enough, lower your standards temporarily. It’s okay if the house is a mess or if dinner is takeout again. Focus on the essentials and let the rest go, the dust bunnies can wait. Continue to ask yourself, is this good enough right now? And the answer is usually yes.
The last thing is, create something that you can look forward to in the post sick season. So, plan a date night, a spa day or even just an hour of uninterrupted reading time once everyone’s healthy again. And you can in good conscience send your kiddo back to their own bed. It may seem like it will never be the case, but there will be a time that everyone is able to breathe out of both nostrils. And when that time comes, make sure you soak it up and do something fun for yourself.
Having something to look forward to during the sick season, and while the household feels like an absolute mess, will help lift your spirits. Remember, taking care of yourself isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. You cannot pour from an empty cup, even if we keep trying and thinking that one day it will work. This is a quick hit of love, letting you know I see you in the struggle.
As you might know, I’m on maternity leave and we took Adley out of daycare before school started to try to minimize the risk of a sick newborn, which has had its own challenges. But I really hope that my household is avoiding sick season as much as possible since we have a fresh little baby in the mix, but it’s likely impossible, as we all know. Whether you’re in corporate or entrepreneurship, sick kids will throw everyone for a loop. You are not alone in this.
We talked about the benefits of embracing this as a season, redefining success and practicing self-compassion instead of beating yourself up. And resenting the situation every time you get the unexpected call or wake up to a kiddo with a fever. I also shared some practical tools, be even more diligent with planning, even knowing that plans will likely need to be rearranged any given day or week. Prioritize what needs to get done now and liberally push off tasks that can be done later and embrace that good enough principle, it’s a lifesaver.
Most importantly, prioritize self-care. So, from sleep to nutrition to mental health, taking care of yourself is non-negotiable. Remember your worth is not measured by your productivity. You are enough exactly as you are, doing the best you can in a challenging situation.
Alright, amazing moms, here’s what I want you to do. I want you to reimagine sick days. They are not unexpected. They are happening regularly all the time especially if you have multiple kids in the house. Make sure the cabinet is stocked with Tylenol and tea, and make sure you have a cozy blanket and a list of movies that you want to watch with your kiddo. Plan for sick season instead of letting it catch you off guard and remember that sick kids are really where we shine. We’re the best at cuddling and caring for our little ones when they aren’t feeling well.
We provide so much comfort and this is important work for our kiddos to know that we’re there for them, especially when they feel crap. Your kiddo will feel better soon and your job or business will be there when you’re ready to tend to it, but make sure you tend to yourself first, mama.
And keep tuning into this podcast. I hope that each week, each tip, each mindset shift is serving as another step on the path to creating a life and business you love. Remember, you’re doing a fantastic job, especially on the days you feel rubbish. So, until next time, take care of those babies, take care of yourself and keep being the incredible mom and businesswoman that I know you are.
Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of How to Quit Your Job: A Mom’s Guide to Creating a Life and Business You Love. If you want to learn more about how I can help you stop making excuses and start making moves, head on over to www.jenna.coach. I’ll see you next week.
So today we’re talking about a topic that I know is hitting close to home right now, navigating the dreaded sick season as a working mom. And you know the drill, the kids are finally back in school. You’ve got your routine down and you’re ready to tackle those big goals you’ve set for yourself that just couldn’t get done over the summer and then bam, a cough here, a fever there and suddenly your carefully planned days are turned completely upside down.
And whether you’re juggling client calls or trying to reschedule that big presentation because your little one needs you. I get it. The stress, the guilt, the feeling like you’re dropping all the balls, it’s real and it’s tough. But here’s the thing, you are not failing, you’re not falling behind, you’re doing the most important job in the world, being there for your kids while also pursuing your dreams. And today we’re going to talk about how to do both without losing your mind or your momentum.
Welcome to How to Quit Your Job: A Mom’s Guide to Creating a Life and Business You Love. It’s a podcast that helps working moms just like you, optimize your time, manage your mind, and start a business that helps you create more freedom, flexibility, and, yes, fun. I’m business and mindset coach Jenna Rykiel. And I offer practical tips to help you ditch the nine-to-five. I have been exactly where you are and I know what it takes to make the transition without trading one form of burnout for another. So, let’s get started.
I’m going to give you practical tips and a few helpful mindset shifts that will help you survive the sick season. But let’s start by normalizing the experience, because whether you’re in corporate or running your own show, sick kids throw a wrench in everyone’s plans. For my entrepreneur moms out there, you’ve blocked out your day, you’re ready to crush those client projects, or finally work on that course you’ve been dreaming up, then your little one wakes up with a fever, and suddenly your office is the couch.
Your laptop is balanced precariously as you try to work, while comforting a clingy, snotty nose sick child. You’re probably the default parent because you work from home, so everything falls on you, the doctor’s appointments, the medicine schedules, the endless requests for snuggles and juice. And let’s be real, there’s that nagging feeling that your business is at a standstill. All that momentum you are building, it feels like it’s slipping away with every day your kiddo is home sick. I get it.
And for my corporate moms, you’re in the middle of a crucial meeting when your phone buzzes. It’s the school nurse, your heart sinks and you realize you need to drop everything and pick up your sick kid. The mental gymnastics begin. How many sick days have you already taken? Will your team think you’re not committed if you have to cancel another meeting? There’s that awful moment when you have to message your boss requesting yet another day off, feeling like you’re letting the whole team down.
And truly for all of us, remember how excited we all were when school started, thinking that finally there was a chance to get stuff done and then wham, not only is your kid home and needier than ever, but now you’re coming down with it too. Hello, mom immune system. So, the guilt, it’s a constant companion and it’s constantly whispering that you’re not doing enough at work, you’re not doing enough for your kids, just not doing enough, period. But here’s what I want you to remember. Everything that’s happening, all of this is normal. This is part of the journey and you are doing a great job, even though I know it doesn’t feel like it, I promise.
Like I said before, you’re doing the most important work in the world, taking care of those little humans that we love so much. Now that we have acknowledged the reality, let’s talk about how we can actually make this season a little more manageable. And I want to talk about a few mindset shifts. So, I want us to reframe sick season by first embracing the ebb and flow. Life, business and parenting are not linear. There are seasons of productivity and seasons of rest, and sick season, well, it’s a season of care. Instead of fighting against it, try to lean into it. This is your time to show up for your family in a different way.
And for my entrepreneurs out there, having flexibility to care for your kid during these unexpected sick periods is part of the reason you wanted to own your own business, so embrace it. It doesn’t feel as sexy in the moment, but give yourself grace and cuddle up with that snotty critter and watch Frozen for the 73rd time this week.
The second thing I want you to do to make this season a little bit more manageable is redefine success. On sick days success might look like keeping your child comfortable or managing to answer a few emails in between naps. It’s not about how much you get done. It’s about showing up in a way that feels authentic to you. Make sure that how you measure success is not defined by how others might see you. I’m only worried about how you see you at the end of the day. So, trust yourself and lean into what you know you and your family need, not necessarily what your boss, co-workers or the business needs in this moment.
The other thing is, I want you to practice self-compassion. You wouldn’t judge another mom for taking care of her sick kid, so don’t judge yourself. Treat yourself like you would your best mom friend, give yourself the same compassion.
The next thing I want to talk about is actually hidden opportunities in sick season. So, these slower days can be a chance to really reassess your priorities. Maybe you’ll realize some tasks aren’t as crucial as you thought. Maybe you’ll delete some tasks entirely from your week. Use this time also to brainstorm or plan. Sometimes our best ideas come when we’re forced to slow down.
And the last little mindset shift that I want to offer is to remember that this too shall pass. It might feel never ending in the moment, but kids do get better and routines do return. Each time you navigate this challenge, you are building resilience and problem solving skills that are going to serve you in all areas of life so, hunker down and know that it’s not forever, I promise.
Now that we’ve got our minds in the right place, let’s talk about tactics. How we keep things moving forward even when it feels like everything’s at a standstill. The most critical tool that you have going into sick season is to plan out your weeks thoroughly. I know this sounds counterintuitive knowing that everything could go down the drain when you get that call from school or daycare. But trust me, having a plan and then shifting is much easier than not having a plan at all.
In episode 12 we talked about how to better manage your to-do list by scheduling when you actually do the tasks. And in episode 18 we talked about how to manage the larger brain heavy work that you need complete focus on. Please go back to those episodes for refreshers. You can go to jenna.coach/12 and jenna.coach/18 to revisit them. But I want you to use those tools to know what the most important things are to get done going into the week. This helps you to do a few things if you get that dreaded call from daycare.
It allows you to create micro tasks and prioritize. You can look at that list of to-do’s that you had to get done today and decide that in these new circumstances it’s most important that two of the things get done. And the other 13 can wait until Friday or next week. For the big projects that you wanted to get done during the two hours of focus time you had scheduled, go ahead and break it down into micro tasks and complete one micro task while your little one is napping rather than having the expectation of completing the entire project. Flexibility is going to be your superpower in this season.
I recommend planning ahead for the worst. I’m a plan for the worst, hope for the best type person. So, you may want to create even a sick day plan for your business or work. What are the absolute essentials that need to happen this week, what can wait? Maybe you even have a schedule that is aligned with if everything goes to plan and maybe you have a secondary plan B schedule if somebody in the house gets sick.
Another easy tool to build into the week is blocking off a couple of hours with nothing planned so that you can always shift some work tasks to that time if you end up needing to rearrange your whole schedule. So maybe it’s a time where your partner or parents can lean in and help so you can get some of the work you missed out on in the day completed. For my corporate moms, talk to your boss about flexible arrangements in advance. If they have kids, they know how this season goes, but if they don’t, it may be good to let them know what to expect and what your role is in pick-ups and such.
Talk about options like logging in after bedtime to catch up on things. And try to come up with plans in advance so neither of you feel caught off guard when school calls. This is a great time to also leverage your network. This is the time to call in favors. Maybe another mom can pick up assignments for your kid. And maybe a colleague can cover a meeting. If you’re the default parent, it might be worth having a conversation with your partner about if and when they can help out. So maybe they’re able to take the kid to one of the doctor’s appointments while you get some work done at home for that hour of time. It’s worth having a conversation to see if there are ways that you can support each other.
The other thing is that technology is your friend. If you’re someone who waits until the morning of, to craft and send the weekly updates, email or the newsletter to your followers, make it a point to prepare it in advance and schedule the email. The same thing goes with social media posts as well. You can schedule them in advance when nobody is sick and plan ahead in case you get that dreaded call.
Waiting until the last minute may have been working, but knowing that any day could be a day where you have to tend to your sick kid means that it’s essential to prep as much as you can in advance when everybody feels good. And the beautiful thing is that technology allows for that to happen seamlessly. You can schedule emails in Google. You can schedule posts in LinkedIn and Instagram. You can really set yourself up for success later in the week and make sure that things are being taken care of in advance, again, when you’re feeling 100%.
The last tip I want to talk about is the good enough principle. And I’ve talked about this before, but it’s always going to be worth mentioning again. Perfectionism has no place in sick season. So, I want you to adopt the good enough mindset. That email doesn’t need to be perfect. That presentation doesn’t need to have all the bells and whistles. The good enough principle is all about letting go of perfectionism and focusing on what’s truly essential. It’s about recognizing that sometimes done is better than perfect.
The good enough principle isn’t about lowering your standards permanently. It’s about adapting to challenging circumstances and giving yourself grace. It’s recognizing that your best looks different on different days, and that’s perfectly okay. By embracing good enough, you’re not just getting things done. You’re also modeling resilience and adaptability. You’re showing your kiddos that it’s okay to adjust expectations when life throws curveballs. So, the next time you find yourself stressing over the details during sick season, take a deep breath and ask yourself, is this good enough for now? And I promise, chances are it is.
We’ve talked about mindset and practical tools, but let’s not forget the most important piece of the puzzle, which is you, taking care of yourself isn’t selfish, it’s absolutely necessary. So, here’s how to make it happen, a couple of things. Number one, prioritize sleep. I know, this is easier said than done when you’re up all night with a sick kid, but whenever you can choose sleep over that extra hour of work. Consider taking shifts with your partner if possible so at least one of you gets a solid block of rest. And if you’re a single parent, there’s no shame in taking a nap when your kid naps as well. Sleep when the baby sleeps, they say.
The second thing is, I want you to nourish your body, keep healthy, easy to grab snacks on hand, cut veggies, nuts, protein bars and stay hydrated. Set reminders if you need to, but keep that water flowing. My family is an Owala family, I can’t recommend these water bottles enough. They’re so easy to carry around and have become what we call our emotional support water bottles because we often carry them around even when we don’t need them or we’re not drinking from them.
Nourishing your body also means moving your body, especially on days that your schedule is completely trashed. Even if it’s just some gentle yoga or stretching while the little one naps, be sure that you keep moving your body in a way that takes care of yourself.
The third thing is, tap into your network and connect with other moms. We talked about tapping into your network as some of the practical tools that you can do, but in the self-care management, sometimes reaching out to your mom friends and knowing you’re not alone in this struggle can be incredibly comforting. Trust me, everyone is feeling it this season, so reach out, share your frustrations. And I’m sure you’ll feel less alone after hearing about all the diseases your sister or besties’ kids have been navigating.
The other thing is similar to what I shared about good enough, lower your standards temporarily. It’s okay if the house is a mess or if dinner is takeout again. Focus on the essentials and let the rest go, the dust bunnies can wait. Continue to ask yourself, is this good enough right now? And the answer is usually yes.
The last thing is, create something that you can look forward to in the post sick season. So, plan a date night, a spa day or even just an hour of uninterrupted reading time once everyone’s healthy again. And you can in good conscience send your kiddo back to their own bed. It may seem like it will never be the case, but there will be a time that everyone is able to breathe out of both nostrils. And when that time comes, make sure you soak it up and do something fun for yourself.
Having something to look forward to during the sick season, and while the household feels like an absolute mess, will help lift your spirits. Remember, taking care of yourself isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. You cannot pour from an empty cup, even if we keep trying and thinking that one day it will work. This is a quick hit of love, letting you know I see you in the struggle.
As you might know, I’m on maternity leave and we took Adley out of daycare before school started to try to minimize the risk of a sick newborn, which has had its own challenges. But I really hope that my household is avoiding sick season as much as possible since we have a fresh little baby in the mix, but it’s likely impossible, as we all know. Whether you’re in corporate or entrepreneurship, sick kids will throw everyone for a loop. You are not alone in this.
We talked about the benefits of embracing this as a season, redefining success and practicing self-compassion instead of beating yourself up. And resenting the situation every time you get the unexpected call or wake up to a kiddo with a fever. I also shared some practical tools, be even more diligent with planning, even knowing that plans will likely need to be rearranged any given day or week. Prioritize what needs to get done now and liberally push off tasks that can be done later and embrace that good enough principle, it’s a lifesaver.
Most importantly, prioritize self-care. So, from sleep to nutrition to mental health, taking care of yourself is non-negotiable. Remember your worth is not measured by your productivity. You are enough exactly as you are, doing the best you can in a challenging situation.
Alright, amazing moms, here’s what I want you to do. I want you to reimagine sick days. They are not unexpected. They are happening regularly all the time especially if you have multiple kids in the house. Make sure the cabinet is stocked with Tylenol and tea, and make sure you have a cozy blanket and a list of movies that you want to watch with your kiddo. Plan for sick season instead of letting it catch you off guard and remember that sick kids are really where we shine. We’re the best at cuddling and caring for our little ones when they aren’t feeling well.
We provide so much comfort and this is important work for our kiddos to know that we’re there for them, especially when they feel crap. Your kiddo will feel better soon and your job or business will be there when you’re ready to tend to it, but make sure you tend to yourself first, mama.
And keep tuning into this podcast. I hope that each week, each tip, each mindset shift is serving as another step on the path to creating a life and business you love. Remember, you’re doing a fantastic job, especially on the days you feel rubbish. So, until next time, take care of those babies, take care of yourself and keep being the incredible mom and businesswoman that I know you are.
Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of How to Quit Your Job: A Mom’s Guide to Creating a Life and Business You Love. If you want to learn more about how I can help you stop making excuses and start making moves, head on over to www.jenna.coach. I’ll see you next week.
Enjoy the Show?
Don’t miss an episode, follow the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or RSS.
