Messy Midlife: Chronic Illness, Baby Sleep, and Radical Flexibility

Messy Midlife: Chronic Illness, Baby Sleep, and Radical Flexibility

From Sharing The Middle by Practical Hug

January 16, 2026 · 8 min · Episode 85

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges of midlife, chronic illness, and parenting while embracing flexibility and authenticity.

In this mini check‑in, I’m sharing a very real slice of my midlife: RSV running through our house, living with ME/CFS, and parenting a baby who does not believe in sleep. Instead of pretending everything is fine and polished, I’m talking honestly about what it looks like to keep showing up for Sharing the Middle when planning conversations with guests feels nearly impossible. I walk you through a new “hybrid” approach I’m trying for scheduling guest interviews that builds in radical flexibility for both me and my guests, and I reflect on how chronic illness and this particular season of parenting are reshaping my expectations around sleep, routines, and consistency. This is an episode about letting things be different than they were before, honoring my actual capacity, and staying messy out loud so you feel less alone in your own middle. Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to Sharing the Middle + RSV and an exhausting week 01:00 – Why planning guest conversations feels almost impossible right now 02:00 – The new hybrid “flex window” I’m trying for scheduling recordings 03:00 – Letting guests cancel first and making room for my own flakiness 04:00 – Sleep chaos, chronic illness, and how…

People in this episode

Host: Practical Hug

Topics covered

  • chronic illness
  • parenting
  • flexibility
  • midlife
  • sleep
  • self-acceptance

Keywords

  • midlife
  • chronic illness
  • parenting
  • sleep
  • flexibility
  • ME/CFS
  • RSV
  • messy middle

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