Friends, I’m having one of those weeks. Or maybe months? But I’ve been quiet over here on the blog, so I figure I owe you an explanation.
One of those weeks when the 16-year-old cat has a seizure so now needs regular thyroid medicine, which requires a daily struggle to hide pills within some specially purchased turkey, which requires actually having said turkey on hand. One of those weeks when I pack in a teeny-tiny bit too much and while trying to carry my two-year-old, some groceries and a gym bag, drop my iPhone and shatter the screen—minutes before an important phone call. One of those weeks when I’m in charge of making several dairy-free appetizers for my cousin’s bridal shower. One of those weeks when I’m lining up a million contractors and services in preparation for our move down the street in five, wait three?!, short weeks. One of those weeks when I also happen to be in Houston AND in Cleveland. And did I mention the snow day?I hit The Overwhelm. It doesn’t happen to me often. But when it does, I’m IN IT. I know many of you are feeling this way right now too. For most people who work in or near schools, this time period is either right before or after spring break, state testing, progress reports, parent conferences PLUS trying to get ahead for next year.
Back to my issues. . . I did feel sorry for myself for just a moment, until I remembered how lucky I am to have the energy, resources, and ideas to solve my problems. But The Overwhelm wasn’t about the simple technical fixes of getting things done. It was more of a FEELING.
I’ve got short-term and long-term To-Do lists galore, project plans, and calendars. But what I actually needed to do first was gather up my head and refocus, BEFORE I got going on my To-Do party. Luckily, my wonderful friends helped me think of a few re-centering ideas:
- Enjoy a glass of wine. It worked.
- Listen to a good album that perks you up. I paused my Jason Isabell obsession and put on some Beyoncé, Rihanna and Taylor Swift. Judge away.
- Call a friend who makes you laugh. This would be helpful. I did set a goal to make my kids laugh really hard and that helped.
- Get help. I decided to order the dairy-free bridal shower apps from a local market.
- Exercise. I took a hard 5-mile run before a flight to California.
- Get some perspective and consider your situation in a larger context. It’s true. . . I just called and registered my daughter for kindergarten at what is reported to be an excellent public school. Not everyone is as fortunate.
- Get enough sleep. I’m usually pretty careful about this because I know that if I go below seven hours, I get grouchy and slow. But I tried to get even more sleep, even when I could have been getting more done.
- Meditate. Interesting. I’ve never really tried it. Maybe I should?
We all hit The Overwhelm at some point. Hopefully, it is not a steady state. I’m happy to report that with the supports above, I believe I have snapped out of it for now. If you’ll excuse me, I have to find the old cat and some turkey.
