*Big sigh* It’s been one of those weeks.

You know what I’m talking about. The type of week where no matter how much you plan, how hard you work, or how much time you put into a project, everything seems to go awry. 

Sometimes you run the week, sometimes the week runs you.

This week? It’s definitely running me.

And judging by the reaction to this tweet, I’m certainly not alone.

Sometimes you run the week, sometimes the week runs you ???‍♀️

— Jessica Lawlor (@jesslaw) October 17, 2018

Best laid plans

Here’s the thing about these types of weeks though: They sneak up on you!

I entered the week with every intention to make it spectacular.

I spent time on Sunday planning my to-do list, grocery shopping, and meal prepping. I woke up early Monday morning, coffee in hand, with an action plan for the day. Within an hour of sitting at my desk, all my best laid plans went to crap.

And then on Tuesday, I woke up with a better attitude. “I got this,” I thought. “I won’t let anything distract me today.”

And again, those plans went down the train sometime mid-morning when other priorities took hold. 

That’s life though, right? It’s certainly life as a business owner, where priorities can shift minute to minute. 

So like it or not, I had to adjust. But let’s be real: I definitely pouted a lot about it first.

Downward spiral

When I’m having one of these types of weeks, it doesn’t take much to send me into a completely irrational tailspin.

Here’s something really ugly I don’t like to admit:  When I’m feeling shitty, it’s not exactly super fun to see other people having the time of their lives or thriving. 

That means social media is not the best place to hang out when I’m already in a negative headspace.

Case in point: On Tuesday night (in the throes of the worst of my week), I laid in bed mindlessly browsing Instagram before drifting off to sleep. After just five minutes of scrolling, I put down my phone, completely set off by a few innocent posts:

• A fellow business owner excitedly announcing a brand new client. (I also recently landed a new client, there’s really no need for this to make me feel any type of way. I can’t have *all* the clients.)
• A photo of a dozen roses a friend posted from her boyfriend. (I’m currently in a loving and happy relationship. Normally, I’d find this super sweet.)
• A friend being recommended by multiple people in a mutual group for the same type of work I do. (There’s more than enough work to go around! And this friend deserves all the success in the world.)

It’s petty, I know. And in the moment, I knew my thoughts were irrational. But even still, I felt a certain way. Can you relate?

On a normal day, any of these posts would have made me smile — I’d probably even give them a supportive double tap — after all, there’s room for everyone to be happy and succeed.

But that day? This week? Those posts just made me feel less than. Not good enough. Not hard working enough. 

And so I exited Instagram, put my phone down and went to sleep. (Probably for the best. I woke up Wednesday morning feeling 1,000x better than I did on Monday and Tuesday).

What I’ve been up to

Here’s the thing: I’m not even having a bad week, really. I’m just having a busy, stressed out, too much stuff on the to-do list type of week. Here are some of the highlights:

• It’s midterm week at Temple, so I had a bit of extra work than normal prepping to give my students an exam.
• I’m heading to London next week and I still don’t have a hotel booked. Hello, stress! I’m also preparing to close up shop while I’m away, so I’m trying to get ahead on client work.
• I welcomed a new and awesome client, but as with anything new, there’s a learning curve and extra time needed for onboarding.
• My website redesign is so close to being finished, but there’s a lot of extra work in the homestretch. Writing copy for the new site was the hardest thing I’ve done for my business yet. 

A week like this isn’t super normal, but it definitely isn’t abnormal. I’d say every year, I have 2-3 memorably bad weeks. I guess this is one of ’em for 2018!

Pushing forward

If you got to the end of this post hoping for some wise words of wisdom or advice for shitty weeks, I’m sorry, but I’ve got nothing for ya. (But thank you for sticking around and reading!)

In all seriousness though, this week, I’ve tried a bit harder to be gentle with myself. I’ve continued many of my normal healthy habits that keep me going on a daily basis: prioritizing workouts, meal prepping, eating healthy, going to bed early. 

And in taking a look from another perspective, perhaps I should feel grateful for this type of week. On the opposite end, I could be struggling to find work. I could not be lucky enough to take an amazing international trip to visit my sister. 

So in the end, these struggles are definitely struggles, but they’re also blessings.

And mostly, I’m just moving through this stressful time. That’s all we can do, really.

Keep pushing, even if it feels like a slog. Keep moving forward, even when the road feels miles-long. 

I’m reminding myself: just like anything else, this feeling is only temporary. This week is only temporary. 

We get to start over again next week — we get to start over each and every day.

If you’re in the thick of a week like mine, know that you’re not alone. And know that this too shall pass.

How do you deal with a stressful week? Let me know in the comments below.

Photo via Pexels

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