Is it May-hem yet?

Every year, something opens. The light shifts, the air softens, and suddenly everything is blooming at once, including our calendars.

Graduations and celebrations. Conferences and networking events. Dinners that finally make it onto the calendar. The farmers’ market returns. That weekend away you’ve planned since January. If you're in a career transition, you may be holding even more.

You want to say yes.

Of course you do.  

So you do. Again and again.

And then... your energy tips.

You’re exhausted.

I call this The Mayhem Effect! We forget that even wonderful things consume us when we pile them on without pause and purpose.

For me, May is an opportunity to learn more about capacity. Knowing what I can hold. Noticing what needs to be built over time. And caring for that space so it can support all the good without collapsing under the weight of all the wonderful.

What capacities are you developing?

1. Are you actively building the inner resources – the stillness, the presence, the discernment to be there for the things that matter?

2. Will you be showing up already half gone?

3. Will you crash right before that one thing you care most about?

3 Practices for staying present for YOU during May!

#1 Take Inventory

Before you say yes to anything in May, ask " What do I already have on my plate, and where am I in my energy cycle right now?" Energy fluctuates. A weekend getaway in June might be depleting on the heels of three consecutive full social weekends. Practice auditing your energy now and in anticipation, before adding to it. "No" is capacity in action, for what matters most.

#2 Build in Transitions

Rests in music create punctuation that lets a phrase breathe and land with meaning. Without intentional pauses, your schedule becomes a jumble that strips each event of its impact. Slowly breathing or sitting quietly before moving into the next event allows you to arrive whole. May events deserve your full presence. Give yourself the transition that makes that real.

#3 Choose Depth Over Breadth

Pick a few events and decide, in advance, "I am going to be fully present for this one." Put the phone away. Arrive early enough and settle. Give the people and activities the whole you. When we choose depth, we come away nourished so we can bloom too.

You can embrace May energy and do more than survive it. Let the goal be to build the capacity for discernment – to choose wisely – and to be present for that.

Judy Garfinkel helps you clarify "what's next." Her expertise in building confidence and resilience supports career and personal development needed to navigate career and job transitions, especially now! She is a PCC credentialed coach, certified Trauma-Informed, Whole Person, and Life Purpose a& Career Coach. Judy crafts bespoke resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and bios that open doors for her clients. And...her career onstage gives her unique tools to help you shine in interviews.

more...Judy is President Emerita of the International Coaching Federation - Connecticut Chapter, where she led a 10-person board and 250+ member coaches. When she's not coaching, Judy is either reading or dancing. (If only there were a way to do both simultaneously!)