MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

Quotes about motherhood:

“Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else’s happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you’re not sure what the right thing is … and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong.” —Donna Ball, “At Home On Ladybug Farm”

“Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind.” —Howard W. Hunter

“Be a full person. Motherhood is a glorious gift, but do not define yourself solely by motherhood. Be a full person. Your child will benefit from that.” —Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions”

“(24/7) once you sign on to be a mother, that’s the only shift they offer.” —Jodi Picoult, “My Sister’s Keeper”

“Motherhood has relaxed me in many ways. You learn to deal with crisis. I’ve become a juggler, I suppose. It’s all a big circus, and nobody who knows me believes I can manage, but sometimes I do.” —Jane Seymour

“Such a mysterious business, motherhood. How brave a woman must be to embark on it.” —M.L. Stedman

From Kait Hansen for for Today.com
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Seven takeaways:

When done right, a workday shutdown routine helps you leave work at work, quiet the worries about unfinished tasks, and set yourself up to hit the ground running the next morning.

Author and work expert Cal Newport describes a workday shutdown routine as a ritual that “should ensure that every incomplete task, goal or project has been reviewed and that for each you have confirmed that either 1) you have a plan you trust for its completion, or 2) it’s captured in a place where it will be revisited at the right time.”

Here are 7 science-backed steps you can mix and match to create your own shutdown ritual and end your workday right:

1. Clean up your physical and digital workspaces: Workspaces can get messy over the course of a work day. Studies show that cluttered work environments restrict our ability to process information and be productive. Give the “you of tomorrow” a boost by providing a clean workstation to arrive to.
2. Review your to-done’s: Maintain motivation and a sense of progress by celebrating the day’s progress. Studies show that noting small achievements helps people maintain a sense of progress towards bigger goals.
3. Confront the things you’ve been putting off: Putting off difficult tasks has been proven to cause a “doom loop” of guilt and anxiety. Identify the tasks that you’ve been avoiding or that make you feel uncomfortable at the end of every workday. Break those tasks down into smaller, more manageable sub-tasks and schedule the next step to tomorrow’s to-do list.
4. Write out tomorrow’s to-do list: Creating a list for the next day not only increases willpower and a sense of order, but it also helps you stop thinking about work while away from your desk. Studies have shown that simply writing out a plan to finish our uncompleted tasks provides the same mental relief as actually completing the task.
5. Set yourself up to “Eat Your Frog” first thing in the morning: Mark Twain famously said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Choose a hard task to attack first the next morning, giving yourself an easy win and a sense of momentum to start the day.
6. Set a time to end your workday and stick to it: Research consistently shows that the more hours we work, the less productive we become. So put structure around your hours, knowing that without guardrails work will always fill your time and mental bandwidth. Scheduling a consistent activity can help.
7. End on a high note: Do not get down on yourself if the day wasn’t as productive as you would have wished. Bring positivity to the end of the day by showing gratitude for the work of others, doing a colleague a favor or kindness, or actively forgiving yourself for missed benchmarks. After all- tomorrow is another chance to crack that difficult task!

From Becky Kane for Todoist
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Three takeaways:

High-functioning anxiety is the constant, hidden exhaustion felt by those who experience inner turmoil and worry, even while achieving great things and generally meeting life’s challenges.

High-functioning anxiety can be difficult to recognize because it often shows up as traits that are typically admired. Individuals with this type of anxiety may appear highly driven, organized, and detail-focused. They tend to thrive professionally, are seen as reliable friends, and seem to effortlessly manage their responsibilities. However, behind this seemingly composed surface, a very different reality often exists– one defined by self-doubt, sensitivity to criticism, and a deep-rooted drive to meet unrealistic expectations.

At this point, there is little clinical research to back up the longterm ill-effects of high-functioning burnout– but as life speeds up and the lines that define work/life balance become more blurred, it is clear that when left unaddressed, it can have incredibly toxic long term effects. But thankfully, there are avenues for addressing it:

1. Reframe Success. Embrace Imperfection: Learn to accept that we can never be perfect. Set healthy boundaries. Prioritize rest. Recognize that success isn’t just about constant achievement—it also includes well-being and balance.
2. Practice Mindfulness and Self-Care: Meditation and breathing exercises will help calm racing thoughts and reduce the need to stay constantly productive. Incorporate intentional self-care routines including reprioritized sleep, better nutrition, and the pursuit enjoyable leisure activities. These all support emotional resilience.
3. Engage in Cognitive Restructuring: Work on identifying and challenging negative thought patterns through techniques like journaling and therapy. These practices help develop healthier self-belief, strengthens the power of reflective thought, and creates space to say no to overwhelming demands without guilt.

With the right mix of self-compassion and practical treatment, high-functioning anxiety can be defeated.

By Ashwini Padhi for The Guardian
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