I’ve not been shy about the fact that I lost my mojo somewhere over the pacific on my way to Hawaii.  I came back totes chilled out, found a little bit of my ‘groove’ again (sigh of relief!) and then off she went again as if teasing me – knowing that deadlines were lurking and it wasn’t doing much for my cortisol levels (hello stress).  You see, I finally signed a book contract – oh so exciting but the reality has set in.  I need to get my write on and STAT.

The looming stress may have been obvious (partly because my husband whisked the kids off to the park or partly because my business coach took one look at me and chose not to take the ‘how are you?’ too much further when she saw the ‘FRAZZLED AND FRANTIC’ look on my face).  But just how do you cope with a deadline?  What are the best ways to find your drive again?

Your own deadline may not be a book. It may not even be an actual ‘deadline’, but the unrealistic expectations we place upon ourselves really have something to account for in this big, wild, stressful world and of course the affect it has on our hormone health. Just last week, I took a trip up the my local shops around 8pm.  The street was a buzz, people were fussing into the supermarket, the gym, walking the dog or picking up dinner to take home. I watched and wondered – just when did we get THIS busy?  When did we get so busy we forgot how to chill out?

For many, we’ve forgotten just how much our internal health is affected by our external influences.  As I watched people swoop the streets I kept thinking deeper – just when do these people have time to fit in balancing hormones and for those trying or wanting children, where the heck would that fit in? Of course, many of the people I meet with are busting their ovaries wanting a child. And I do believe that they absolutely deserve the delight of little ones. But where exactly would they fit in? You see, in these instances, the body literally laughs. There is just no way, like anything else in life, if we don’t create the space it deserves, that hormones will balance and then babies can come.

We as a collective (me included) have become almost unable to unplug. And let’s not lie – when we do, we feel guilty, like the little bird on the shoulder tells us we should be doing ‘something’. But the keys to meeting any deadline are space, time and air. It’s seriously productive!  Let me list my faves.

Time out – There’s nothing like a good brisk walk around the block to get the creative juices flowing – or just blood pumping in general.  I find it helps to clear the mind, move cortisol and create some space.  I typically find when I do this, even though it’s essentially time away from the task at hand, I come back and achieve far more than if I sat there bashing my head against my computer screen.

Acupuncture –  HELLO MOJO!  Obviously acupuncture is a treatment according to where your health is at that moment in time.  It’s tailor made like a designer suit and you feel pretty fab when you walk away.  I had a treatment today.  The wheels are back on the buggy!  Of course it’s also super good to help you chill out and of course, rebalance hormones and benefit fertility.

Journal – Get the mind chatter out onto paper.  This also extends to writing lists.  Let it pour out so you can clear the mind and focus on the task at hand.

Brain food – An unnourished mind isn’t only mind exercises – it extends to mind food!  Many of the recipes in my second book Eat Fat Be Lean are paleo inspired and tick boxes in the brainy cuisine department.  Think oily fish, good quality plant (and meat) proteins and whole foods.  Again, it’s totally all about balancing hormones!

Perhaps you’ve got your own ways of coping with stress and deadlines – I’d love for you to share in the comments below.  I’m sure the road blocks in the next few months will be getting themselves in my way, but I’m pretty excited as to the road ahead.  I can’t wait to press send on that book manuscript! But in the meantime, let’s remember to nurture and care for ourselves in such a way that if our bodies could speak to us, they’d be praising us with delight.  And above all, creating space to just ‘live’ is pretty darn important.