Faye McDonough

Ah August! My least favourite month? It can feel like that at times.

It’s the month that brings the full reality of working motherhood to the fore and reminds me of exactly what I’m not good at – excelling without structure.

I wrote about the unique anticipation and anxiety that August brings in my July update.

Some people blend work and life beautifully. That’s not me. Almost 10 years of parenthood have taught me that I’m at my best when I’m all-in on one or the other.

I know it’s my way of controlling the chaos. Clear separation doesn’t always go to plan or achieve its aims but I own it, acknowledging my limitations when it comes to blurring the lines between both.

Rather than dwelling on my August anxiety again…I’ll just say that a yoga workshop about returning to the solid ground and routine of September was very much needed.

Bring it on. I’m ready.

Every month, I take time to reflect on highlights and learnings. As tempting as it is to skip it sometimes, it’s a marker throughout my year – confidence-boosting and a way to recognise progress that might otherwise be overlooked.

Perhaps this month, I need it more than ever. Have you done your list yet? Maybe you should…

August was focused on finding pockets of calm and refuge in culture, moments just for me, looking after myself and being realistic about what could be achieved.

Now that I’ve written them down I can see how beneficial they all were.

My 9 August Survival Tactics

Creating Physical and Mental Refuge

1. Achieved my exercise plan and fit in either yoga or a swim most working days. It was essential to my mental health but I also saw improvements in both (I’ve finally braved the Medium pace lane!) at a time when it’s easy to feel like my enjoyment and progress is at the bottom of the list.

Your reflection: What’s one small thing you could commit to for your own wellbeing during chaotic periods? It doesn’t have to be exercise – maybe it’s five minutes of reading or a daily cup of tea in silence.

2. Lost myself in a book in a way I haven’t for a while. The excellent Demon Copperhead. It’s been on my ‘to read’ pile forever following two thoughtful recommendations from friends. It was spot on. I had to confine reading it to my time away for fear of staying up all night unable to put it down. Epic, hopeful, powerful, and full of learning and social commentary. It’s going to be hard to choose what to read next. I still haven’t picked up another novel a week on.

3. Finally gave daily meditation a proper go courtesy of the Calm app. I’ve been here before so don’t want to get too excited but this time it feels different. If I’m late doing it, I feel it and that feels like progress in itself. I started a new 30 day course this week and every episode so far features a legendary (and unusual) quote. Think Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix amidst the classic Gurus. I think this course is going to be up my street too.

Setting Digital and Mental Boundaries

4. Enforced an online (and particularly WhatsApp) hiatus – A Glamping trip ended up more off-grid than I intended making me realise along the way how much headspace WhatsApp occupies. How did this app become the creator of my to-dos? I’m not sure, but there’s no doubt that it has. It was a delight to take two full weeks off and see that the world didn’t end. Aside from a good piece of news I would have liked to have heard earlier, I hadn’t missed much. I can recommend it. Slowly easing myself back in mindfully is the plan.

Your reflection: Which app or digital habit creates the most mental clutter for you? What would two weeks without it reveal about how much headspace it’s occupying?

5. Switched Radio 4 for 6Music in the morning. The news is relevant to my work and it’s essential to keep informed for many more reasons than that but in August, I switched the Today programme for Nick Grimshaw on 6, improving my mood and discovering a love of Euro Country by CMAT along the way. It’s a much better way to start the day and it’s staying (although Mr McD isn’t always up for Josh Wink’s Higher State of Consciousness at 7.15am – I’m working on him)

Your reflection: What’s one small change to your daily routine that could improve your mood without requiring extra time or effort?

Finding Connection and Joy

6. Summer wishlist – Every year I ask my kids to write a summer wishlist to reduce overwhelm. It was a hit again this year. We all particularly enjoyed the living room family disco (even despite the questionable playlist heavy on Queen and songs from the football terraces). Disco balls from Flying Tiger made it perfect. (More on this in my July update).

7. Started curating my eight Desert Island Discs. I love this show and I’ve been mentally curating my choices for years. August was the month when I got it down on paper. There’s absolutely no way I can choose only eight but I’ve enjoyed trying in brief moments of calm, pondering it whilst pottering in the kitchen (I’ll never be able to choose my favourite Beatles song obviously).

8. Squeezed in a long distance bike ride and meet-up with my best friend. I didn’t think I had time but a quick review of weekends made us go for it – it was the only gap for a LONG time. Fitting it in between a camping trip and my return to work seemed like a bad idea but it absolutely never is. Beautiful weather, a ton of chatting and a new catchphrase via a Paul Simon lyric. Winner!

9. Created our own holiday wishlist – After an ok but not amazing family trip, we spent time on Sunday writing down the things that work, listing all the things that make those adventures more enjoyable e.g. regular solo time within the week, outdoor space, one on one time with each child, walking everywhere, and the more niche, remembering eye masks for surprise lie-ins. Feels like progress to acknowledge what works and what doesn’t – and makes me more hopeful for the next time we give it a go.

What These Wins Reveal

Looking back, I can see these wins all centre around the same theme – creating small refuges amidst summer chaos. Whether physical (swimming, yoga), mental (books, meditation), or emotional (time with friends, family disco), each gave me a pocket of calm or joy when everything felt overwhelming and I craved structure and familiarity. They weren’t grand gestures or expensive solutions – more like intentional choices about where to spend my limited energy during a month that tests every working mother’s resilience (it can’t just be me?)

Anyway, I hope you’ll bookmark this list and think about what would be on yours when the next wave of chaos arrives. 

On the Horizon

September brings my birthday, some big work milestones and the return of my Writing Accountability sessions held on Fridays with friends (can’t wait).

A few days back into September and I can feel myself returning. Taking a breath after the summer madness and as my yoga teacher said, placing my feet on solid ground.

Community Engagement

I’d love to hear your August wins alongside your thoughts on summer holiday survival strategies. Is finding that balance between being present for family time while maintaining your own wellbeing something you struggle with too?

What’s been your most unexpected discovery about what you need during unstructured time? And please tell me I’m not the only one who finds WhatsApp creates phantom to-do lists!

Questions for Your Own August Reflection

• What’s your most effective coping strategy when work and life boundaries blur during school holidays?
• Which of your usual structures or routines do you miss most during unstructured time, and how could you recreate mini-versions of them?
• What’s one thing you did purely for your own enjoyment this month, without any productivity agenda?
• Looking at your August survival tactics (planned and unplanned), which one surprised you with how much it helped?
• What would your “must haves” list include for your most challenging month?

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Photo from our last family trip in Norfolk. Couldn’t it be the Mediterranean?

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