The summer-time chaos is officially upon us, folks. We’re coming off of Memorial Day weekend and the first five days out of school, and I am feeling exhausted and heavy already.

I want to talk about what this time of the year can stir up for us working moms, but let me first explain why my summer is already feeling different this year:

My youngest just finished kindergarten and she didn’t get into the summer-based program that we were hoping for, so my partner and I are once again shuffling our work lives around. I initially entered into a negative mental state when thinking about how I was going to keep the ball rolling with my professional goals and dreams while also making sure my daughter has a great summer. I fell into the trap of an old and limited belief system that told me that if I can’t work full time, I won’t be able to reach my goals, and if I can’t be available all the time, I won’t be able to fulfill my purpose.

that old, outdated freaking narrative that i’ve always battled made its presence known for summer. 

Now in last week’s episode we covered defusion, which allows us to put distance between our negative thinking patterns and our responses to them. My negative summer mental state was a moment when I was reminded to practice what I preach in real freaking time, and you best believe I’ve been working through the defusion process myself. But before we get any further into it — I want to acknowledge that my working mom problem is a privilege, and I recognize that there are other moms out there busting their ass without any room for schedule shuffling. I am grateful for my flexibility while my situation is also hard to juggle. 

I’m trying to give myself permission to scale down enough work-wise to have a beautiful time with my kids, but of course with this thought comes the narrative that I have to choose between my professional goals and my family. Here’s the real scoop friends:

We are changing the game as working mothers. We are allowed to do both and beyond. We are allowed to have space in our day to do everything that matters most to us.

With this new narrative in mind, here’s how my own process of defusion went down –

I identified the limiting belief that was coming up for me, telling me that I won’t be able to achieve time with my family and my career goals with my summer schedule.

I then questioned it and asked myself: do I know this to be true? What evidence do I have to back it up? The reality is that when I break it down, I don’t see a real problem with it right now.

I then asked myself if this archaic thought was helpful, and the answer to that is obviously a hell no. It causes unnecessary anxiety and irritability, and that’s not who I really am.

I then asked myself, okay – what else is possible here? Is it possible to clear my schedule out a little bit while also being present with my family? How might it be possible? This is where my new neural pathways started to come through. 

i now want to inspire you to look at what’s possible for you.

The world has told us that we have to choose one or the other, but I’m not accepting that. The beliefs that drive the narrative are outdated and no longer relevant for where we are. I deserve to have my life look the way I want to, and you do too. While my summer will be looking different, it doesn’t mean that it will be wrong. Sometimes the slow down is exactly what we need to catapult forward. It’s going to give me the time and space to get creative, reset, and be prepped to sprint when summer comes to an end. 

So I ask you – what limiting beliefs are coming up for you as we move into summer? What stories are you telling yourself that might hinder how you enjoy this season? Can you use defusion to call this story out?

It is possible to have a great summer and continue your momentum in an updated way. We will get to the other pieces when it’s the right season to reach those things. We don’t have to continue forcing ourselves to get where we want to go. If you’re feeling like you are stuck at home and it’s building resentment for you, explore it. If you are feeling stuck at work, where can you make adjustments? Where are you holding yourself back based on your own limiting beliefs? Follow the feelings that you are experiencing and identify the narratives that aren’t serving you anymore. It's time for us to use our gifts of flexibility and resourcefulness to flip the script. 

explore new and updated beliefs that align with who you want to be and how you want to live. dream big and go after the things that really matter. 

I hope that you give yourself permission to be adaptive, resourceful and open to a new narrative this summer. 

Take care of yourselves and therefore each other!

xo, brooke jean