The to-do list is 6 pages long, the house is a disaster, there’s stuff everywhere, kids need to be driven to sports, summer camp, or a playdate and you’re not even sure where to start so you say
Screw it!
I’m just going to lay down for an hour and watch something on Netflix because it’s all just too overwhelming!
Can you relate?
When life gets overwhelming I tend to want to sleep it off because somehow that will make it better, right? Wrong. All it does is make me more overwhelmed when I wake up because guess what? The mess is still there!!
Ok, so how can we reduce the overwhelm, anxiety and stress and conquer the never-ending to-do list with grace, energy and excitement?
The answer is simple… drum roll, please!!
Take time for yourself! WHAT?!
No, I don’t mean watch Netflix or take a really long nap. I mean find something that fuels you! Focusing on your health, exercise, meditation, counseling, community, working (in or outside of the home), clothing yourself with confidence or whatever it is that makes you excited and happy.
Since we are on the subject, I have a little secret to tell you…
When you prioritize your mental, physical and emotional health, you no longer walk through each day barely putting one foot in front of the other!! Mind-blowing, isn’t it?
Let me tell you a short story. I love being a mom, my kids are so special to me and I would do anything and everything for them. However, as the days and years went by I was just feeling empty and then it was like a vicious cycle, the empty feeling turned into guilt and shame and then I would feel even more empty inside while questioning my every decision and parenting skill. So, how did I break the cycle?
I started to dabble in photography. It got me out of the house, allowed me to use my creative side and brought in a little bit of spending money. I would come home feeling excited and proud of myself and then it forced me to re-think my priorities and really manage my time more efficiently without letting all the “extra” stuff creep in. I also learned to ask for help and more importantly realized that I did NOT have to be the one to do it ALL. My husband is a part of this family too and when he was home, he helped me with the chores until the kids were old enough to help.
Was it an easy conversation to come up with the splitting of the household and kids’ needs? NO! However, we both talked about what our strengths were and what our weaknesses were and came up with an agreement that has worked ever since (with a few tweaks here and there)
I don’t have all the answers but I can certainly tell you that when I started doing a little something to feed my soul, everyone around me was happier. I was more emotionally and mentally capable to be the mom I wanted to be instead of the disgruntled, angry, yelling mom I was becoming.
If I’m making it sound easy, it’s not! It took friends and family holding me accountable, lifting me up when I was down, and drive and determination!
Now here’s the tough question… Are you ready to start making yourself a priority? If so, comment below and we would love to share our 5 daily exercises to reduce anxiety and overwhelm and once you get those if you are looking for some awesome accountability message us for more info on our amazing HTI community either on facebook, Instagram or email us at hello@honesttalkinternational.com
Photo credit: @Tirachard Kumtanom and Pexels
