Let me just say this upfront, because I wish someone had said it to me like this. Annual Training will humble you real fast when it turns you into a solo parent. I don’t mean that in a dramatic way. I mean in the very real, very unfiltered, “How am I doing all of this by myself right now?” kind of way. Whether you’re the one leaving or the one staying, something shifts. The balance you’re used to is gone, and suddenly you’re carrying everything. The schedules, the emotions, the meals, the logistics, all of it...and girl...it is a lot!
If you’re the one heading out to AT, the stress starts before you even leave. You’re trying to set your whole life up to run without you. You’re packing bags, laying out clothes, coordinating pickups, thinking three steps ahead about things that might happen while you’re gone. You’re trying to make it feel seamless for your kids, even though you know it won’t be. You’re holding all of that while also trying to mentally prepare for training. It’s exhausting before you even get there.
If you’re the one staying home while your partner is gone, whew. That is a different kind of pressure. There is no break. No tag team. No “Can you grab this real quick?” It’s you for everything: every morning, every meltdown, every late night, every random thing that pops up out of nowhere, and life does not slow down to make it easier on you.
Kids still need you. Work still needs you. The house still needs you, and you’re just…doing it.
There’s also this emotional side that no one really prepares you for. You miss your person...not just in a big, obvious way, but in the little everyday moments. The shared looks, the help without asking, the feeling of not carrying everything alone. You feel that absence in a way that hits differently when you’re already stretched thin.
What I’ve learned, and I’m still learning, is that this season is not about being perfect. It’s about being realistic.
Some nights dinner is whatever you can’t throw together without losing your mind. Some days the house is not clean. Some moments you’re just getting through, and that is more than enough. You have to give yourself that grace or you will run yourself into the ground trying to keep everything looking “together.”
If you have support, use it. I don’t care if it’s a friend, a neighbor, family, or someone offering to help in a small way. Say yes. You are not meant to carry this completely on your own, even if it feels like you have to.
Then, when it’s over, when AT wraps up and life starts to come back together, give yourself a second, because re-adjusting is a thing too. You don’t just snap back into routine overnight. It takes a minute to breathe, reset, and figure out your rhythm again.
Here’s the part I want you to actually hear...You did it. Not perfectly. Not without stress. Not without moments where you questioned everything. You showed up for your kids, for your responsibilities, for your life, and that counts for more than you probably give yourself credit for.
So, if you’re in the middle of it right now, just know you’re not the only one feeling like this. Remember...you’re doing better than you think you are.
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