It is a very busy, chaotic life stage to be in right now OP‼️
As a mother of fully-grown kids who have already flown the coop, my best advice is for you to enjoy the moment because one day it will all be over with & your kids will have their own lives.

Know that this is a temporary stage + that it will not be forever!

Anonymous wrote:If you’re happy with teens, I wouldn’t worry too much right now. They’ll be out of the house soon.

You’re sort of not “counting” the things you do actually do: relationship, walk

I see friends and exercise - I run 3 days a week in addition to walking the other days. I pair running with friends - feeding two birds with one seed.

This. You go for a walk every day and spend time on a relationship. That's a lot when you have kids.

Take a bath. And three seasons a year, I go out and pick wild flowers for a minute and make a little arrangement.

Can’t believe some nag hasn’t mentioned listening to some breathy Communist on NPR.

-daily gym (mix between running, barre, tennis, strength training), will often socialize during classes as well so helps fight winter blues
-at least 30 minutes reading before bed
-cup of hot tea in morning
-podcasts or audiobooks I love while doing chores around house or driving kids to activities

I knit nearly every day, even if it's for a few minutes. It's my creative and tactile outlet. I also run a few times a week. I can't be my best if I don't get a little space from everyone else.

Anonymous wrote:Are you all walking in the dark?

I try not to but occasionally I will.

Anonymous wrote:Starting my day with "morning pages," a tool from Julia Cameron's creativity workbook "The Artist's Way" helps me stay happier on the regular. You write three pages when you first get up, longhand, and it doesn't matter what you write as long as you keep the pen moving until you are done. People think of it as journaling, but it really isn't -- there is a huge difference between free writing when you first get up and writing down what happened during your day at night.

NP - I have TRIED to do this, and have good intentions, but it always seems like such a chore. And nothing comes of it.

Anonymous wrote:Are you all walking in the dark?

DP. But, my wife & I walk the dogs most evenings and this time of year it's almost always in the dark. (Those walks help my disposition quite a bit.)

First off, your daily walks are proper exercise!

Are you a reader? I discovered that I love thrillers/mysteries a few years ago and now I gobble them up. It also replaces scrolling before bed.

I take a bath every night. It's literally all I have.

Anonymous wrote:I've been reading before bed instead of scrolling. It took me a while to find an engaging book. I keep thinking if I get 8 hours of sleep I'll get out of this funk and tiredness. I hate January and February. The darkness really bums me out. I can't wait to be outside with my kids after work again. My kids are behaving badly too and I think it's the lack of exercise. They get none at school basically. (My kids are little)

I agree with you though. My life is just so packed.

The days are already starting to get longer, PP. Hang in there.

Are you all walking in the dark?

Anonymous wrote:I am a single mother of teen girls who have extremely busy sport schedules. I also have a demanding job. Every day, for the last 5 years, I go to bed with my head spinning. It's a lot. Everyone close to me points out I never do anything for myself. I barely get to my routine doctor appointments. Not to mention going out to see friends, exercising etc. I am in a very loving relationship but we don't live together but we do make time for each other. That's about it. I walk daily but I can't seem to find the time or energy to get proper exercise. My friends get together for trips and weekends but I can't commit because of my kids and their demanding schedules. The thing about it is that I am happy. I love this crazy time with my kids but it's very glaring it's all about them and definitely not about me.
Is that typical or do you all do a lot more for yourselves daily? What do you daily that brings you tremendous joy? (other than work and cart your kids to practices)

You sound busy, but happy... but you also say you go to bed with your head spinning. Have you tried mindfulness? Maybe find a Youtube video or app to do guided relaxation or mindfulness/meditation. Start with just 3-5 minutes.

Things that make me happy, when I can be bothered to do them:

-Started a skincare routine at beginning of January. I went from just Trader Joe's sunscreen to adding in better/more regular cleansing, adaptolene gel, daily moisturizer, and higher spf. I'm so much happier with myself. Thinking of adding a Vit C serum in the AM.

-Snuggling with my 1st grader at night for the first few minutes of lights out.

-Bath time. This will sound dumb (or gross to some people?), but I roll my pant legs up, take my socks off, and sit soaking my feet while my 1st grader takes him bath. We chat, relax, and I help him rinse the shampoo out if he needs help. It has made bath time so pleasant and a way to connect instead of just another annoying daily chore.

-Turning screens off. I started reading again. Just junky YA series, but it's better than watching 2 hours of YouTube videos every night.

-Getting to bed earlier.

I've been reading before bed instead of scrolling. It took me a while to find an engaging book. I keep thinking if I get 8 hours of sleep I'll get out of this funk and tiredness. I hate January and February. The darkness really bums me out. I can't wait to be outside with my kids after work again. My kids are behaving badly too and I think it's the lack of exercise. They get none at school basically. (My kids are little)

I agree with you though. My life is just so packed.