Overwhelmed and Recovering

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We're smack dab in the middle of the Passover and Easter holidays, which are wonderful times for many of us.  But, sometimes these occasions bring on extra stress and anxiety with unending lists of things to get done, a flurry of "I need to do's," and worry about family and friends.

I found myself feeling overwhelmed this week as I worked my way through all of the things I wanted to get done: cleaning, shopping, meetings, appointments, writing, laundry, volunteering, and trying to make decisions on lots of things. And for some reason, many of the people in my life have needed extra care lately:  I've been listening, encouraging, and trying to be there for them.  I love helping other people, especially those I love. I want to be there for them. But this week, it was starting to get overwhelming. My headaches were not going away.  I started to feel like I've been balancing everyone's cares on my shoulders and I wasn't strong enough to keep from crumbling down. I knew I needed to take a good look at what was happening.

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Wednesday night, I declared it was time to take care of me. I sent out a late night email letting people know I was not going to go to an early morning meeting the next day. I wanted to be there, developing my coaching skills. But, I needed rest. I was the priority this time as I worked to pull the stress down a few notches. After an appointment in the morning, I came home.  My house needed some serious de-cluttering and cleaning, and lots of laundry needed to be done, but I curled up and watched TV with my daughter for awhile instead.  Later, called my husband and had him meet for a walk in the park, enjoying the sunshine.  I chose to walk slower than I usually do. This was self care for my head, and it felt right not to push my body any faster.  After the hour walk, I felt better, and my headache was actually gone.

I want you to take a good look at what's happening with you and your life.  How are you doing with balance?  Don't let yourself crumble under the stress and anxiety of life like I started to this week. Remember, if we don't take care of ourselves, we aren't going to be there to do the things we really want to do and take care of the people we want to be there for. It's important to prioritize time to take care of yourself each day.  Where are you going to put in your "me" time?  Are you eating right?  Exercising?  Sleeping? Resting?

If my house doesn't get cleaned, oh, well.  Life will go on.  What I was very clearly reminded of this week was that I'm worth taking care of, and so are you!!