Taking Care of Ourselves During the Busy Season

Wow when I say that we jumped straight into the busy season without a warning, I don’t mean that lightly. With the busy season comes exhaustion, feelings of burnout, frustration, and insanely long work days. Juggling all the craziness tends to come with the suffering of our physical and mental health, which we don’t particularly want to happen. So what do we do to ensure that we are not only taking care of ourselves physically but mentally as well? Keep reading to dive in a little deeper with us!

Let me start with a couple of examples of the crazy/busy I am talking about. Last week here on the farm was as hectic and exhausting as could be! With all the rain we have received lately, chopping hasn’t gone as smooth as could have hoped it would. Trucks kept getting stuck in the muddy fields.  It even got to the point that Bryan had to pull tractors hooked to a truck out of the mud because they were so stuck. It not only took one tractor to pull some trucks, but two tractors. Tabby was having to pull out wheatlage from the merger by hand because it was so lodged in the machine due to wetness and mud.. Kendra spent the week having equipment malfunctions continuously. Olivia’s busy season never seems to end with 3 kids and another on the way. I think you may be starting to see that the trend of the busy season is also a crazy season! 

We like to term it that we are currently in survival mode. Which means our health takes a back seat. First and foremost we like to make sure we are still eating each and every day. Whatever form that looks like, we want to make sure we are still getting the nutrients we need. Making sure we are stocked up on quick and easy accessible foods helps a lot. Those things include yogurt, beef jerky, nuts, vegetables, fruit, hamburger patties, brats, chicken tenders, lunch meat, and more. We are big fans of crockpot dinners, where we can just throw the ingredients in the pot and let it cook all day. This is a great way to have a quick and good dinner when we get home and are inevitably exhausted. 

Now when our bodies don’t feel good the days seem to be longer and more exhausting. We all get plenty of movement throughout our busy days and with the long hours we don’t necessarily have the time or the energy to go workout at the end of the day. So, something that you can do that is a big help in terms of helping your body feel better is to take a few minutes before you start your day and just simply stretch your body to prepare for the day. This helps keep your body limber and can help prevent little injuries that could happen throughout the day. Stretching is still movement, and moving your body is great for you regardless how you can get it to fit into your day!

Which leads us to the last thing I want to talk about in terms of caring for ourselves during the busiest times of the year. We all know that the busy and stressful times of the year can have a toll on us mentally. A lot of times that tends to be unavoidable but, here are a few things we do to help clear our minds and relax. For me personally I like to look for the little nuggets of positivity in everything that is going on throughout the day. It helps me to keep my mind in a positive state regardless of what is going on. Another thing we like to do is listen to music or a podcast while we are working, because it helps us keep a calm mind when the world around us is chaotic. Trying to keep a calm and clear mind can be a challenge, but it is beneficial to you and all those around you. 

Lastly would have to be surrounding yourself with friends and family any time there is an opportunity. Take every opportunity given to relax and have fun, because at the end of the day working endlessly can lead to burnout.

Love,

Olivia, Tabby, Gina, & Kendra