A Kind Thing You Can Do for "Tomorrow You"

Your Nervous System Will Thank You

About 10 years ago... I was sitting at the top of "Eldon's Hill," crying.

I've never measured it, but I'll bet that hill is somewhere between 200 and 300 feet long. We live in Idaho at 3,500 feet elevation, so when it snows, our 4 wheel drive cars with special snow tires handle the hills just fine. But when it snows, then rains, then freezes? It becomes a vertical ice skating rink.

We have a 45-minute drive to town on a good weather day. Work. School. It means waking up early, which is already a challenge. That morning, I didn't want to put chains on because metal chains are cold and I wasn't very good at getting them on without the whole thing becoming a tangled mess that made me lose my shit. So I didn't. I lied to myself and decided I'd be able to find little rough spots in the ice to grip my tires into.

When I got to the top of the hill with my young kids in tow, I sat there for at least 10 minutes. My car barely stayed put on the relatively flat crest. I didn't want to go down that hill without chains on, but I didn't "have time" to put them on. After crying for 10 min frozen in fear, I inched enough over the hill that there was no going back.

There we went, swirling backwards, sliding all the way to the bottom.

It was now 7:30 a.m. Too late to get the kids to school on time. Too early for my nervous system to be completely fried. But there I was.

Last night, I thanked myself for doing something I really didn't want to do.

I was so cozy and ready to leave the day behind and curl up into my warm bed...but .... Before bed, I pulled on my boots, my hat, and my rubber utility gloves. I went outside in the dark and chained up my car tires. (I have become much better at this over the years)

The road down from my house was similar to what it was in the story above. I'd stayed home all weekend. When I drove up the road on Friday, I skipped the chains because driving uphill is less risky. I hoped conditions would change by Monday.

They didn't.

I knew if I waited until morning, I'd be rushing. Cold. Already behind. Trying to convince myself it would be fine. I could skip the chains, grip the steering wheel, tense my whole body for three miles... or end up in a ditch.

Or worse, sliding backwards down a hill with my 12 year old youngest daughter in the car. (The other two would be spared as they have grown up and still make fun of me for those dramatic winter commutes)

So I handled it the night before. Morning me could just get in the car and go. Her shoulders didn't start the day already locked up. Her nervous system didn't take a hit before 8 a.m.

Preparation is a game changer that can affect the entire 24 hours ahead. Or even a lifetime. Because that unprepared time along with a few others is immortalized in "my book".

The Version of You Who's About to Arrive

Sometimes doing things that set you up for success feels impossible, not because you don't care, but because you're tired. Because you've already made a thousand decisions today. Because everything requires effort.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Why certain days I can prep meals and lay out clothes, and other days I can barely get myself to bed? I have concluded that it is a snowball affect. A dis -regulated nervous system making things harder in general leading to choices that are "lazy" and rude to future me leading to a further dis-regulated nervous system and seasons of muck.

I've decided to personify my future self. Maybe you will want to try this too... it seems to work! Future you is someone you look out for. Someone you want to make life easier for. If she was your child, you wouldn't leave her to figure everything out alone. You'd set her up with what she needed.

You can do that for the version of you who's about to arrive.

She's the one coming home tonight. The one waking up tomorrow morning. The one taking a moment in her kitchen between clients, feeling hungry and overwhelmed, staring into the fridge. The smallest choices you make now shape how supported she feels later. They don't have to be perfect or impressive. They just need to be kind.

What This Actually Looks Like

Making your bed in the morning doesn't change your life, but it gives night-time you a calm place to land instead of visual noise. Chopping vegetables once on the weekend means weekday you isn't scrambling for something to eat (nothing elaborate, just something ready to grab when there's no time or energy left). Skipping the third glass of wine or the late-night ice cream when you already know tomorrow will feel rough. That choice comes from care, not deprivation.

The Pattern I See Over and Over

"I don't have time to prepare food" is one of the most common things I hear in my practice. I get it.

I've eaten at the local health food store deli more times than I can count. Sometimes it's the only solution that makes sense. It's not perfect...but it has variety enough that I can make pretty good choices. So, it doesn't hurt my health, and it gives me a chance to get out of the office and socialize.

It's not a terrible choice, and it can help reduce the accumulated effort. But it's rough on my bank account, and I'm way more likely to impulse-buy the Valentine's strawberry marshmallow chocolate caramel thing sitting at the checkout counter. And sometimes the trip to the store isn't in my time budget for the day.

I'm fortunate to have a health food store next to my office. And also, in an ideal world, I would make most of the food I eat for lunch and reserve the health food store as a backup plan for extra hairy days where I'm falling behind.

I'm walking the talk now more often than not and giving myself grace when it doesn't happen.

Here's what happens when preparation falls off: You don't prepare because you're busy and tired. You grab what's fast. Those choices stack up. Your body starts to feel heavier, foggier, more reactive. Everything feels harder: food, decisions, focus, mood, motivation. Then preparation feels even further out of reach.

This isn't about willpower as much as momentum. And momentum can be nudged.

What if you took one day a week and chopped up some vegetables, prepared enough protein, and had it ready to go to assemble during the week? Frontload the week with success, allowing for an easy slide here and there. You capitalize on this momentum as you feel more rested and better nourished to make even better choices going forward.

When Everything Feels Stuck

If everything feels harder than it should, you're probably running on empty with no margin. Too many rushed meals. Too many late nights. Too many open tabs (on the counter, on your computer, and in your head). Over time, this creates a thick, sluggish feeling where everything takes more effort than it should.

The way forward starts with creating a little space.

Think of your energy like bicycle gears. When you're in the right gear, you're still pedaling, but it feels smoother. More efficient. You move forward without grinding. You ascend hills with greater ease.

When you're overloaded, it feels like pushing uphill in the wrong gear (same effort, way more strain).

Small acts of preparation help shift that gear.

Where to Start

You don't have to do everything. Pick one thing: Make your bed when you get up. Decide tomorrow's outfit the night before. Cook one extra portion and save it. Clear one surface that's been stressing you out. Put your phone down earlier than usual. Unfollow accounts that leave you feeling angry or tense.

These are gifts, little investments that compound over hours, days, weeks, and months.

Boundaries count too. Saying no to draining plans. Noticing which apps leave you scattered. Choosing quiet more often. You're thinking ahead for the version of you who has to live with the aftermath.

When You Can't

Some days you won't prep. Some nights convenience wins. Some weeks are survival mode. That's real life.

This is about direction, turning toward care instead of pressure, support instead of self-criticism. One small thing today so tomorrow feels easier.

That's enough. And it adds up.

Going Deeper

If you're local to Sandpoint, Idaho (or want a beautiful mountain getaway), I'm offering something this spring that goes deeper into these patterns. We'll explore how hormones, blood sugar, and circadian rhythms shape your energy, your cravings, and your ability to show up for yourself.

Stay tuned for details on Rooted in Rhythm, a retreat designed to help you work with your body instead of against it.

Kelly Greenway BCHN, FNTP, MRHP