Sometimes it gets too much ….
Sometimes, no matter how hard you
try, life gets too much. You’re running on a treadmill and just want out.
Especially when you have small children, a demanding job, financial stress,
you’re worried about aging parents, the economy, crime, and global warming. All
the ‘what-if’s’ turn into sleepless nights and energy troughs become lethargic
‘I’ll do that later’. When everything around you begins to pile up and you can’t
find your toothbrush, you know that things are getting pretty serious.
I remember a game-changer once when
a friend visited unexpectedly. My hair was a mess, I was wearing my oldest
clothes and shoes, dishes were piled to the ceiling, children’s toys were lying
everywhere. Even the beds were unmade.
Whenever I face a mammoth task, I
break it down into manageable slices. Whenever I don’t feel like doing
something, I tell myself to START. Even if it only means sitting down and
planning. Inevitably, this motivates me on to take the next step, and
sometimes, even the next. “Small achievement spur you on to tackle bigger
tasks,” says Debora Robertson, author of ‘Declutter: The Get-Real Guide to
Creating Calm From Chaos’. Debora also recommends the 30-day challenge:
‘Pick one thing to get rid of on the first day, two on the second, and so on.
After 30 days, you’ll have got rid of more than 400 items almost without
noticing it.’
Besides planning and decluttering,
it helps to do away with negative thinking and creating a positive aura. Start
with body image. A new hairstyle, make-up (even if it’s just lipstick), glam
earrings, a colourful scarf. Set your goals, but make them realistic. Think
about your successes, don’t dwell on the negatives. Enjoy your children – the
mess will pass (when they leave home). Let their laughter be your music. Breakaway from playing the martyr. Nobody likes a saint – everybody loves a
fun-loving, free spirit. Especially family and your children.
When you go to bed, think about
your achievements – even the smallest things that we take for granted. Without
your health, hands, and feet, eyes and ears and essentials like food, water, and
electricity (some people don’t have these remember), like them, you would really struggle.
Always be thankful. It makes us humble, helps us to remember who we are and
stop taking so much for granted.
Then things will be better!
Photograph: The Zebra Mom
Creator: Oleg landubaer
Credit: Chris Tefme.
