The Mid-Summer Reset for ADHD Moms (When Summer Isn't Going How You Planned)

Allison Converse
3 days ago
4 min read

If you're in the middle of summer, looking around and thinking "we haven't done half of what I planned"... this is for you. We're talking about the guilt that tends to creep in this time of year, why the gap between the summer you planned and the summer you're having is completely normal, and one simple way to reset your expectations for the rest of the season.

🎧Prefer to listen? Click here to listen to this episode 47 of The Gentle Reset

In this week's podcast episode, I want to talk about something that shows up for almost every mom around this point in the summer... that quiet guilt that creeps in when you realize the summer you're living doesn't look like the one you pictured back in June. If that's you right now, I want you to know you're not alone, and nothing has gone wrong.

Why Mid-Summer Guilt Shows Up

Here's the mindset shift I want you to hear today:

the summer you planned and the summer you're actually having don't have to match.

Somewhere around the middle of summer, this guilt tends to show up.

You think about all the things you were going to do...

the bucket list you made
the learning time you were going to protect
the screen limits you set back in June
the schedule you so carefully came up with… that you maybe followed for about a week

And now you're looking around thinking...

"We haven't done half of what I planned.

We've had way more screen time than I wanted.

I'm not keeping up with any of it."

And that guilt feels heavy.

But here's what I want you to remember: this is just the reality of mom life sometimes.

Summer is long.

Life is full.

So if you're not where you thought you'd be, you don't need to carry guilt about it.

You just get to gently reset from here.

Nothing has gone wrong.

You're in the middle of a real summer, with real kids, in a real home.

And there's still so much summer left.

Your Mid-Summer Reset (It's Not a Room... It's Your Goals)

So here's your home hack today but it's less about your home and more about your expectations.

I want you to do a mid-summer reset.

Not of a room.

A reset of your goals.

Take a few quiet minutes and ask yourself:

what do I actually want the rest of summer to feel like?

Not what you planned in June.

Not what you think it's supposed to look like.

Just what would feel good for the last half of summer?

Then look at whatever goals or bucket list you started with, and pick one or two things that still matter to you and your kids. Let the rest go.

Maybe it's a few more slow mornings.

Maybe it's one or two bucket list things you actually get to.

Maybe it's just a little less chaos in the house.

You're not catching up on everything...

you're choosing what's worth your energy for the time you have left.

And if part of what's weighing on you is that a few spaces in your home have quietly drifted into clutter over the last few weeks...

that's so normal this time of year.

Pick one spot, reset it, and feel a little lighter.

Grab my FREE Sneaky Clutter Hot Spots for a simple place to start.

I'm Living This One Right Now

I want to be transparent with you... I'm living this season right now.

We just got back from vacation and I'm in that re-entry phase where I'm slowly going through the house room by room trying to get things back in order.

And when I think about the summer I pictured back in June?

We haven't prioritized the learning time I wanted to.

We're definitely not following the schedule I so carefully made.

There have been way more screens than I planned on in those early, hopeful days.

And for a minute, I felt that guilt creep in too.

But then I reminded myself of exactly what I'm telling you.

This is real life.

This is a full season with two kids home.

I'm doing the best I can with the energy I have right now and that's enough.

So instead of trying to rescue the whole summer or make up for lost time, I'm just resetting from here. Picking a couple of things that still matter to us. And letting the rest go without the guilt. Because the rest of summer gets to feel good too. And so does yours.