When Your Ready Position Is Out of Reach (and You’re Living in Chaos)

It started with good intentions: a renovation to make our master suite more functional, more beautiful, more us. Then we got a puppy (because sure, why not add more joy/chaos to the mix?).

Now picture this: dust on everything, our belongings in plastic bins, a dog who thinks everything is a chew toy, and literally nowhere to put any personal belongings—let alone reset my mind.

My “ready position”? Gone.

If you’ve read this blog on what the Ready Position is, you know it’s not about having a perfect home. It’s about having a baseline—a physical and mental space that helps me feel grounded, clear-headed, and capable. It’s where I go when life starts to feel like too much.

But right now? Life is a lot. Between the renovation dust, puppy training, and the holiday whirlwind, I’ve lost access to that reset point. And I’ve felt it. In my focus. In my mood. How many times have I snapped at my family, only to immediately regret it?

So what do you do when your go-to coping strategy is blocked? When your usual tools don’t work?

Here’s what I’m learning (still in real time):

The ready position isn’t a place—it’s a practice.

Right now, I can’t rely on my environment to bring me peace. So I’ve had to create moments of it wherever I can.

• Lighting a candle in the one clean-ish corner of the house.

• Squeezing in a 20-minute Peloton ride—even if the laundry is piled up and the puppy is barking.

• Taking a deep breath before I respond (instead of reacting).

• Decluttering just one area of my mudroom, even if everything else is still a construction zone.

Are any of these things fixing the bigger mess? Nope. But they give me a little more breath, a little more control, and a reminder that I’m still here. Still capable. Still moving forward.

“Good enough” is the goal right now.

I’ve had to loosen my grip on expectations—especially holiday ones. I wanted the warm, cozy, twinkle-lit season. What I got was a construction zone with half-finished tile. But you know what? Frozen nuggets still count as dinner. Reused gift bags still count as festive. Showing up, even imperfectly, still counts.

My mindset is my real reset button.

When I can’t control the space, I can choose how I speak to myself.
Instead of: “I can’t function like this.”
I’m trying: “This is temporary. I’m adaptable. I can hold both mess and grace.”

And that’s the real work, right? The mental decluttering. The deep breath.

The moment of self-compassion.

If your own ready position feels far away right now—because of renovations, kids, caretaking, the holidays, or just life—I see you.

Start with one small shift.
Light the candle. Take the breath. Get on the bike. Clear one drawer.

You don’t need the whole house in order to feel a little more you.

And if you’ve found something that helped you feel more grounded in a chaotic season, I’d truly love to hear it—drop a comment or message me.

We’re in this together. 💛