112 The Gift of Enough: Releasing the Pressure to Do It All

The Gift of Enough: Releasing the Pressure to Do It All 

A gentle, practical episode for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the pace of December. Whether your routines have been disrupted by festive events, family needs, illness, or simply the shift in energy at this time of year, Carly offers a grounded way to stay connected to yourself without perfectionism or pressure.

Inside, you’ll learn how to adapt your strength training, eating rhythms, and self-care practices in a way that supports your nervous system rather than overwhelms it. Carly explores why “good enough” is not settling; it’s a powerful seasonal strategy rooted in compassion, sustainability, and midlife wisdom.

This episode is especially supportive for women in midlife, perimenopause, or anyone navigating fluctuating energy, overstimulation, or a packed holiday calendar. You’ll walk away with simple grounding practices, gentle breath awareness, and ways to honour your needs through the busiest month of the year.

Perfect for anyone craving more presence and less pressure this season.

If you'd like a gentle guide to walk beside you as you navigate what it enough to still allow you to move forward, you can book a free clarity call with me at carlykillen.com

Thanks for listening to Rooted In Presence

If you’d like to get in touch with a question about today’s episode or find out how I can support you with coaching, here’s how to reach me:
📧 Email: carlykillenpt@gmail.com
📱 Instagram: @thestrongbonescoach

Do you crave unshakable confidence in your strength from midlife and beyond? Would you love to achieve your goals without sacrificing family time or self-care?

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🌟 For tailored advice or personal queries, email me at carlykillenpt@gmail.com

Thank you for being here, and I look forward to supporting you on your journey to strength, health, and confidence! 💪🦴✨

Transcript

Carly: 0:46

Hello and welcome back to Rooted in Presence. I'm your host, Carly, and today we're exploring something so many of us need at this time of year, and that is the gift of enough, enough effort, enough presence, enough rest. Enough of you without the pressure to become some kind of holiday superhero Now, where I'm based over in the uk, December has a very particular flavor, equal parts magic, overstimulation, nostalgia expectation with a sprinkle of joy and a few drops of exhaustion. It can feel like everything is louder, faster, and more crowded, including our minds. So today's episode is here to bring everything down a notch just to help you breathe, perhaps to help you soften and to help you navigate this season with presence, releasing some of that perfection if you can, even if it's just a little bit. So let's get started. So let's talk about why I am. Even covering this in this episode, kind of again, there's definitely a theme over my last few episodes, but this is a time of year that all I hear is everything feels so chaotic. So by the time we often hit December, many women that I speak to in midlife tell me things like my routine has fallen apart. I can't seem to stay consistent. I've been pulled in a hundred directions and maybe I'm just gonna put it all down on my self care, on my routines. I just start again in January, but the problem isn't December. The problem is trying to live a summer routine. In a winter season, we are meant for change. You'll be feeling it. Your energy will feel different. Your nervous system is doing more work. Right now, the diary is going to look different. That emotional landscape is changing and life quite literally gets lifey. So in this episode, I want to help you find your footing again, not through pushing harder, but by creating a rhythm that fits you. So let's talk about something that derails most people, and that is the all or nothing mindset. We often typically fall into one of two patterns. That first pattern is, oh, it's only a few weeks. I'll start again in January. And the routines you've been nurturing all year go into hibernation. And we also have, I have to keep everything perfect, but this can lead to rigidity, resentment, overwhelm, feelings of failure, but there is a middle ground, a much more supportive one. So perhaps I'm gonna invite you to consider pattern number three. A good enough December, some softer consistency, that gentle adaptation, those tiny moments of coming home to yourself. This is where your nervous system can thrive. This is where sustainable change lives. And of course I'm saying all this from experience. I often learn things the hard way, which is why I like to try to bring it to you to see if I can save you a few steps. And there was a time when December would completely throw me off course too. If I missed a training session, if my child got poorly, if I had three social events in one week, if my routine just wasn't perfect, if it was interrupted, I would think, oh, well, you know. I've, I've ruined it now, so I'll just leave it for a bit. And actually it's January soon. So, hey, what's the harm? And that reset usually meant starting from scratch in some kinda way because not only would I put down my habits, I seem to pick up quite a few extra unhelpful ones. Some of that last supper eating, extra snacking, perhaps even being extra sedentary. But as I learn more about my nervous system, how to sustain change, and I start to live through my own cycles of burnout, rebuilding those midlife shifts, I began to see things differently.'cause a wobble isn't a failure, it's an invitation. It's a moment to respond with softness instead of self punishment. Now, I don't want to aim for a perfect consistency in December, but I do aim for connection. That consistency and that connection is a form of presence, not pressure, and that's changed everything for me. So what does a midlife body really need at this time of year? Currently, if you are listening to this, there's a, a good chance that your midlife body is navigating hormone fluctuations, increased emotional processing, disrupted sleep, extra social stimulation, extra planning memories and anniversaries, changes in routine, as I've said. But what your body might actually need is steadiness, nourishment, grounding. And smaller digestible habits, permission to shift, and this is how we stay in connection rather than collapse. So what does enough look like practically in a month flight December? Well, let's talk about some ways we can rewire our thinking around our usual routines. So first one, let's talk about minimum dose strength training, allowing for that flexibility. So your strength training routine doesn't have to stay exactly the same in December. It might look like shorter, more powerful sessions, sessions with fewer exercises. You might choose to take some lighter loads. Or just simply showing up in some form. Just a commitment to show up at your planned time. But perhaps you do this at home or perhaps you just show up with the commitment to doing some stretches and see what happens afterwards.'cause here's something important, the location can change too. Maybe if the gym is feeling overwhelming right now, home workouts might feel more accessible. Or maybe the gym is your sacred space. A moment away from the rush, and this is something you want to keep, even if what you do there looks different and both are totally valid, both support your nervous system in different ways. So ask yourself daily. Where would strength feel most supportive today at home or getting outta the house? And remember, short sessions count 10 minutes counts, two movements. It all counts. It's not about building peak performance unless you are actually training for a competition, in which case, ignore everything I'm saying and follow your coach. Hmm. But really, it's about staying connected to your own body's power, and that's your power through choice as well. Now let's talk about nutrition. So instead of aiming for that meal, perfection, trying to hold on to routines that felt easier over the summer months. Let's talk about meal anchors. So instead of sticking to rigid meal plans, or perhaps those dreaded little black dressed diets that have you perhaps saying no to all the fun stuff over the festive season, we can look at these meal anchors. Looking at your protein, the color on your plate, maybe something enjoyable here and there, sprinkled in these, give your body a rhythm and a stability without slipping into that diet. Culture, rigidity, or complete festive chaos that leaves you feeling stodged and lethargic. We're looking at truly feeling nourished with flexibility built in. Next, something very simple, but probably something we don't do enough of. And that's breath awareness. And this is to support us with perfectionism and pressure. This is coming from a recovering perfectionist, by the way. So, instead of feeling the need to follow structured breathwork techniques, perhaps you can go a little deeper into the general experience of your breath. So next time you notice that perfectionism rising, maybe when you feel that pressure to do it all, or the self criticism sneaks in, or maybe even just you notice a bit of a tightening in your chest. And by the way, if it's the chest tightening that you need to ring an ambulance for, please do that. But getting back to what we're talking about, this is something you can try. Just taking a pause without trying to change anything. And just notice where is the breath sitting in your chest? Are your shoulders lifting? Is your jaw clenched, wiggling my jaw as we speak now? Are you holding your breath at the top or is there some tightness in your belly? And approach this like a gentle witness, not with a idea of fixing or forcing, just that compassionate observation and see what happens. Your breath might well soften naturally once it feels seen. And this is how we start to rewire our habits. Not through force, but through awareness. Our body is actually quite wise when we give it space and time. Witnessing, taking away the judgments, we can truly step into a presence, and this is presence in action, not just sitting on a meditation cushion. Hmm. And finally, the one thing method, I, I read this in a book called The One Thing, which is great, and you can just ask yourself each morning, what one thing would support me most today? Not what you should do, and not what would look good or not what someone else expects. So forget that. A to-do list with 50 things on it, but can you focus on just one thing that keeps you connected to yourself? And I understand that that to-do list will probably still be there, but you can still do this in connection with you too. So some days maybe the one thing will be movement. Some days it might be rest. Some days it'll be asking for help. One of the things I find the hardest to do at times. And some days it's just lowering the bar, not throwing out your standards completely, but can you just accept one or two notches lower for the sake of getting to the end of the day with your sanity intact? And this is the gift of enough. So I'm gonna offer you a few reflection prompts For those of you that like to journal, whether you want to just ponder on these voice note, actually write them down, or just think them through. It's all good. So here's some questions for you. Perhaps they'll support you this month. So what does enough look like for me this December? Where am I holding myself to standards that don't fit the season? Which habits genuinely support me, even in the smallest form? How can I bring more kindness into my routines? And what would it feel like to trust that small still counts? So remembering, take away that pressure to fix anything. These are just invitations, not tasks, not more things to add to your to-do list. So before we finish, let me remind you, there's no such thing as a perfect December, the stay connected to yourself. And you don't have to choose between all or nothing or burnout, or boundaries or perfection or collapse. There is a soft middle ground and it's a lot more comfortable. So this month, let your routines bend without breaking. Let your breath become a place of kindness and let strength be flexible. Let nourishment feel doable and let rest be allowed. And most of all, that's enough. Be enough. And if you'd like support with creating routines that fit your midlife body, especially through changing seasons, you can book a clarity call with me@carlykillen.com. I would love to walk alongside you. So until next time, may you meet yourself with Compassion, walk with Presence. And remember, you already carry everything you need.