Are You Living an Entire Day Before 9am?
Do you sometimes feel like you’ve already lived an entire day before 9am.?
You pour your coffee, try to steal a quiet moment, maybe even crack open the book that’s been sitting on your nightstand for weeks.
But before you’ve even taken a proper sip, your mind has already run a marathon:
✨ What’s for breakfast?
✨ Who haven’t I replied to yet?
✨ What’s urgent today?
It’s the constant hum, isn’t it?
The hustle soundtrack.
The world whispers (sometimes shouts):
Don’t think — just do. Don’t pause — be productive.
And if you’re not moving at the same relentless speed as everyone else? You feel like you’re falling behind.
The Truth About High-Functioning Women and Burnout
I know this rhythm well. I was the poster child for it.
On the outside, I looked like the high-functioning woman who had it all together. My days were full, my calendar busier than my body could keep up with, and my worth was tethered to my output.
I was efficient.
I was productive.
I was exhausted.
And here’s the thing about burnout: it doesn’t usually arrive like a dramatic crash. It seeps in like fog, soft, slow, and suffocating.
One day, you wake up and realise even joy feels like a chore. The things that once lit you up, reading, laughter, connection now feel like just another box to tick.
Why Measuring Your Days by Productivity Fails You
Somewhere along the way, we were taught that productivity equals value. That a “good” day is a day with more boxes ticked. That slowing down is lazy, indulgent, or irresponsible.
But here’s the truth:
A to-do list is never finished.
Productivity doesn’t pause.
Hustle can’t love you back.
When you measure your life by output, rest feels like failure. Stillness feels unsafe. And connection, the very thing that sustains us feels like one more task to survive.
Life isn’t built in achievements. It’s built in how you feel inside the day you’re living.
What Actually Helps (Not Just Bubble Baths & Vibes)
You don’t need another meme telling you to “just breathe.” What you need are micro-shifts that calm your nervous system while reminding your brain: you’re safe to slow down.
Here’s some methods you can try tomorrow:
The Post-it Drawer Trick
Write down the task that’s nagging you.
Put the Post-it in a drawer.
Sounds silly, right? But here’s what it does: it sends a clear signal to your nervous system that the task has been seen. It’s not lost. You’re not abandoning it. You’re containing it.
This simple act can quiet the mental loop of “don’t forget, don’t forget, don’t forget” and give you the breathing space to actually be in your morning.
The One-Thing Pause
Before diving into your day, ask: “What’s the one thing that will make me feel human today?”
Not the most urgent task. The one thing that makes you you. It could be a walk, playing your favourite song, or actually sitting down with breakfast. Naming it reclaims your day before urgency hijacks it.
Single-Task Ritual
Choose one daily activity you will do without multitasking.
✨ Drinking your morning coffee.
✨ Washing your face at night.
✨ Folding the laundry.
Let it be ordinary, but let it be yours. The repetition builds presence without pressure.
Finish Line Ritual
Pick a daily cue that signals your day is done, turning off your laptop, lighting a candle, putting your phone in another room. High-functioning women struggle with “work bleed,” so a clear full stop helps the brain switch gears.
Reflection - 5 Tiny Ways to Redefine “A Good Day”.
Instead of measuring success by how much you got done, try measuring by how you felt.
Did I give myself even one unhurried moment today?
Did I pause before reacting, even once?
Did I choose connection over performance in a conversation?
Did I let my body exhale, not just my brain tick off tasks?
Did I remind myself that slowing down isn’t failing, it’s living?
When you start measuring by these instead, you’ll notice the fog lift. Not all at once. Not dramatically. But enough that your life starts to feel like yours again.
This Is What the Soul Care Healing Method Is About
The Soul Care Healing Method (self-paced course) was built for women who’ve been carrying it all, measuring their lives by output, and slowly losing themselves in the process.
It’s not about adding more to your plate. It’s about giving you the space, the tools, and the reset your nervous system has been begging for.
Inside, you’ll learn how to:
Calm your body without numbing or pushing through.
Set boundaries that actually stick.
Break free from the survival patterns that keep you on autopilot.
Create rituals that remind you your life isn’t just tasks, it’s moments worth inhabiting.
Because the truth is: the volume knob has always been in your hands. The Soul Care Healing Method helps you turn down the noise of urgency and turn up the parts of life that feel like you.
Gayle xx