When Life Turns Upside Down: How Big Life Events Derail Your Workouts (And How To Care For Your Body & Mind Anyway)

Lately, my life has been wrapped up in a life event no one likes - moving and all the logistics that come with it!!

Rooms full of boxes.
Endless decisions.
Paperwork, phone calls, emails.
Memories tucked into every corner I’m sorting through.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that, my workouts quietly slid to the background.

I caught myself thinking:

- “I was doing so well, and now I’m barely moving.”
- “By the time I finish with everything for the move, I have nothing left.”
- “I know movement helps me, but I feel completely maxed out.”

If you’ve been in a season like this too, you’re not alone.

What I’ve realized is this: moving isn’t just a change of address. It’s a full‑body, full‑mind experience. And to get through it well, I have to pay attention to both my mental and physical capacity, not just push through because I “should.”

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How Moving Took Over My Mental & Physical Bandwidth

I knew moving would be busy. What surprised me was how **all‑encompassing** it became.

On any given day, my brain is juggling:

- Decisions about what to keep, sell, donate, or toss
- Timing and logistics: who’s coming when, what needs to be ready, what’s next
- Money details, contracts, and “did I sign that yet?”
- Emotional layers: memories, endings, new beginnings, and all the feelings that come with that

My body is also doing more than usual:

- Lifting boxes
- Walking back and forth between rooms
- Packing, cleaning, bending, reaching
- Driving, loading, unloading

By the end of the day, I’m not just “a little tired.” I’m mentally saturated and physically drained.

In that state, expecting myself to do a full, structured workout on top of everything else isn’t fair. It’s not that I don’t care about my health. It’s that my capacity is already being used in a hundred invisible ways.

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Letting Go Of Guilt While Still Caring For Myself

At first, I felt guilty. I’m someone who cares about movement and strength in fact, it's my  passion and it was hard to watch that rhythm fall away.

But here’s what I’m learning:

This season is not about chasing perfect routines or pushing my limits.
It’s about:

- Letting myself be human in a demanding time
- Staying aware of my mental and emotional load  ( aka guarding my "melty")
- Being gentle with my body instead of critical
- Trusting that I can return to more structure when life gives me a little more space

So instead of asking, “Why can’t I keep up with everything?” I’m practicing a different question:

Given what my life looks like right now, what kind of care is actually realistic and kind?”

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Noticing When My Capacity Is Tapped Out

I’ve started paying closer attention to the signals that I’m at (or past) my limit:

- I wake up already feeling behind or exhausted
- I’m more emotional than usual, closer to tears or frustration
- My brain is jumpy, bouncing from one task to another
- I’m moving all day with packing and cleaning, but my body still feels tight and tense
- The thought of doing a “real workout” makes me want to shut down, not light up

When those signs show up, I’m learning not to label myself as “lazy” or “inconsistent.”

Instead, I try to say:

Of course you’re tired. Look at everything you’re carrying right now.”

In those moments, the healthiest choice is rarely to pile on more.
It’s to soften, not push.

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What I’m Doing Instead Of Forcing Traditional Workouts

I haven’t stopped caring for my body and mind. It’s just looking different right now.

Here are some of the gentle shifts I’m making in this moving season.

1. Counting The Movement I’m Already Doing

Instead of telling myself “I didn’t work out today,” I’m noticing the movement that’s already built into this season:

- Carrying boxes from one room to another
- Walking up and down stairs
- Reaching, bending, lifting, wiping, sweeping
- Walking through new spaces, meeting people, running errands

All of that adds up.

So my question has shifted from:

“Why didn’t I get a workout in?”

to

“Given all the movement I’m already doing, how can I help my body feel a little better?”

For me, that looks like:

- A 11 minute easy walk outside, just to breathe and clear my head
- A few gentle stretches at night for my hips, lower back, and shoulders
- Rolling my shoulders, circling my wrists and ankles when I catch myself tensing up

This isn’t about burning calories. It’s about giving my body small moments of relief and care.

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2. Protecting My Mental Capacity On Purpose

My mind is busier than usual right now, so I’m trying to build in tiny pauses.

Some things that are helping:

- A short pause with coffee or tea
- I put my phone down
- I take a few slow breaths
- I quietly ask myself: "What does my body need today?”* Instead of just, “What needs to get done?”

-  A simple evening wind‑down
- I write tomorrow’s to‑do list so I’m not carrying it all in my head
- I jot down 2–3 things that went well or that I’m grateful for that day
- I dim the lights and give my body and brain a clear signal: “You can start to relax now.”

These aren’t big, dramatic rituals. They’re small, steady reminders to my nervous system that I’m allowed to exhale.

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3. Being Tender With Sleep

Sleep can get messy in the middle of a move: new noises, different routines, a brain that doesn’t want to shut off.

I’m not chasing a perfect sleep schedule. I’m aiming for tenderness instead of rules.

That means:

- Giving myself a 15–20 minute **buffer** before bed with no phone/laptop in front of me
- Doing a quick **brain dump** in a notebook so my thoughts have somewhere to go
- Reminding myself that even if sleep isn’t perfect, every little bit of rest still helps

Better sleep doesn’t magically fix everything, but it makes the days feel more manageable.

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4. Keeping Food Simple, Comforting, And Supportive

With so much going on, it would be easy for meals to swing between “whatever I can grab” and “I should be eating perfectly.”

I’m aiming for a middle path:

- When possible, I build meals around protein + vegetables

- I lean on simple options:
- Rotisserie chicken and a bagged salad
- Yogurt with fruit and nuts
- Soup with some cut‑up veggies on the side

- I keep a water bottle nearby and sip through the day instead of overthinking it

And instead of asking, “Is this the *right* thing to eat?” I ask:

Is there one small way I can make this meal a little more nourishing?

That tiny shift keeps me out of all‑or‑nothing thinking.

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5. Changing The Way I Talk To Myself

The hardest part of this season isn’t actually the boxes or the logistics.
It’s the voice in my head that says things like:

- “You’re dropping the ball.”
- “You were finally consistent, and now look.”
- “You’ll have to start from zero when this is over.”

I’m practicing softer, truer thoughts:

- “I’m carrying a lot right now, and my body is doing its best.”
- “It makes sense that my routines look different in this season.”
- “I’ve built strength and habits before. I can rebuild them again when there’s more room.”

I remind myself that I’m not starting from scratch later.

All the awareness, experience, and self‑knowledge I’ve gained is still there.
It will be waiting for me when life settles.

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How I Plan To Come Back To Workouts When The Dust Settles

I know this moving season won’t last forever. At some point, the boxes will be unpacked, the address will be changed, and life will feel a little more grounded again.

When that happens, my plan is to return to structured movement gently, not with a punishment mindset.

- Working my way back to the amount of movement that fits this new chapter, not the “old normal” by default

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If You’re In A Season Like This Too

If you’re also going through another big life event, here’s my invitation to you (and to myself):

This week, choose just two tiny things:

1. One small act of care for your body
- A 10‑minute walk
- A few stretches before bed
- Drinking a full glass of water between tasks

2. One small act of care for your mind
- A 5‑minute morning pause without your phone
- A short journal entry at night
- Three slow, steady breaths when you feel overwhelmed

That’s it. No perfection. No “making up” for anything.

You and I are allowed to be in process.

Our workouts will be there when we’re ready to come back to them.
And when we do, we’ll bring with us more self‑understanding, compassion, and strength than we had before this season began.