Crazy Week Ahead: How I Prepare for a Stressful Week

This past week was an absolute DOOZY. Between still getting settled into a new position with new responsibilities at work, all three online classes assigning HUGE readings or group projects, and the regular every-day to-do list? It was wild. On top of it all, last week was my favorite week of the year: the days leading up to Halloween. So, like I do, I planned to hand-paint life-size decorations to deck out the clinic in festivity.

It’s all fun and games until someone has a melt-down on the kitchen floor over storm-trooper balloons on a Thursday night. What, you’ve never been there?

I used to have crazy-busy weeks like last week and end up absolutely miserable by Tuesday afternoon, threatening to quit everything and hide under the bed. The difference is that now, I treat these project-weeks like my own personal mission: Operation Get it Done Without Melting Down. Here’s my process for keeping my sanity when the week ahead threatens to take me down.

Start with a Game Plan

If you’re overwhelmed by the week already and it hasn’t even started yet, you might need a brain dump. The first thing I do before the stress hits is jot down all the things that need to get done, especially if I’m worried about them. This list is organized only by whatever comes to mind first.

I do this for a couple of reasons: one, that stress is a monster and it loves to overwhelm by exaggerating danger in your mind. When everything is down on paper, it takes the power away from the stress-monster. Nine times out of ten, I look at my brain dump and go, “Wait, that’s it?” Poof. Way less overwhelmed. Way more manageable. The second reason is that this list will prepare you for the next step.

After my brain dump is ready to go, I scan the list for anything that might have a “due date” and jot those down real quick. Now I’m ready to make a game plan. I sketch out the week on my weekly planner (see my post on planner tools, or just use a piece of printer paper). I include long days at work, errands I might have to run mid-week, lunches with friends, etc.

Then, easy peasy, I use my brain-dump to parcel out a **manageable** chunk of to-do list items for each day. That these chunks are manageable is incredibly important: the more realistic you are with yourself, the easier it’ll be to celebrate your wins at the end of the day and keep that positive attitude high.

Step 2: Don’t Lose Sight of What You Need

Next, you’ll need to set some self-care goals for the week. Don’t roll your eyes at me, missy. If you grind, grind, grind all week and don’t take care of your body or your mind, your mental state is as good as gone by Wednesday at the latest. These goals don’t have to be crazy but they DO have to be priorities. Last week, I stuck with just a couple: eating breakfast every day, drinking at least 64 ounces of water, and taking a walk on Tuesday and Thursday after work.

It’s also a good idea for you to know how you recharge and what’s going to be most helpful for you. If you feel more energized after you’ve spent some alone time with minimal stimulation, plan out a couple of chunks of time where you just sit and journal or read. If you feel more motivated after hanging out with friends or being around people, make it a priority to FaceTime or call your mom, your best friend, or your sibling this week.

Step 3: Get Meals Out of the Way

I can’t stress this enough: prep your lunches and choose easy dinners. You never realize how much time food prep takes until it’s 7:00 and you’ve got three more assignments and a poster to paint and dinner’s not ready yet. That right there is enough fuel for a melt-down. Don’t let it happen.

I tend to choose lunches that are easy to prep in batches. I like to do bowls made of roasted veggies like broccoli and carrots and sweet potato with some shredded chicken and bacon bits. I cut everything up, roast it all on one pan, and portion it into five bowls. Thirty-minute lunch prep, done. Along the same lines, if you’re a salad person, you can roast veggies and a couple of filets of salmon, plop them onto a few tupperwares of spinach, and you’re set for the week.

Some of my favorite easy dinners are one-pan meals and meals that make lots of leftovers, like pasta bakes or stir frys. Anything you can throw on a baking sheet and leave alone for thirty minutes is a win in my book.

Plan to Celebrate Your Wins

At the end of this crazy week, you need to congratulate yourself on holding it together and working it out. Plan something exciting, even if it’s small, for Thursday or Friday. I went to Starbucks and got a fancy pumpkin-spice something-or-other on Friday morning and every sip reminded me how much of a baddie I was all week. Get takeout from your favorite restaurant for dinner, let yourself splurge on Friday afternoon at Target, demand date night with your honey… The options are endless. Just make sure you celebrate your wins this week. You crushed it.