You’d never guess this about me but….

I have days where I give up.

When the lists, the plans, the schedules, the work, the people, the driving, the expectations (mainly my own) are all too much.

That feeling creeps in slowly at first – the tightness in my shoulders, the racing thoughts that won’t quiet down, the small tasks that suddenly feel like mountains to climb.

And before I know it, I am face to face with my limit, and I can’t do it anymore.

So I physically, simply, stop.

I go into power saving mode – all non-essential functions stop and default settings kick in.

* Practically this looks like meals, kids, phone on silent and at least 45 min under a duvet – sometimes in silence, always in clean pajamas *

This used to feel like failure to me.

Like I wasn’t strong enough, organized enough, or capable enough. My inner critic nodding… “see, you can’t do or have it all” she’d say satisfactorily.

This threw me into a hole of self doubt and overwhelm. I’d stop seeing the beauty in my life. Wonderful days felt weighted and heavy – the kind that needed “put one foot in front of the other” mantras to get through.

How sad! I wasn’t enjoying the best years of my life because I was tired.

I was living days the younger me prayed hard for, but they were falling through my fingers, when all I needed to do was re-group.

I read somewhere – in life we all have balls that we juggle. Some of these balls are glass, some of them are rubber. If you drop a rubber ball it will bounce back. If you drop a glass ball it will break.

The glass ones are delicate and precious, when they break, they can’t be put back together the same way.

I am glass, my family is glass, my friends are glass…

On days like this I only focus on them. I let the rubber balls fall – knowing that I will catch them when they bounce back…. Tomorrow.

It took me years to realize this isn’t weakness – it’s wisdom. Days like this are reset buttons. Sometimes stopping IS the strategy.

By recognizing my limits and honoring them, I’m protecting what matters most.

And maybe you need to hear this too. It’s okay to stop. It’s okay to choose which balls to keep in the air when your arms are aching. Sometimes, it’s the bravest move you can make.

Do you give yourself permission to rest when you need to? If not, consider this your official permission slip!

I’d love to know – what do your “power saving mode” days look like? Reply and let me know. (Seriously, I read every response and love connecting with you!)

Now, go get some sleep!