A list to deal with too many lists

Today is one of those days when the world just seems too big.  To-do lists seem too long. The day seems too short. Today is one of those days where I find myself wanting more, wishing I was somewhere else, and dreaming about other places.

I am not comfortable in days like today. I become needy. I quit reaching and start retreating.

I know these days are normal. I need these days to balance out all the other wonderfully full days I have throughout each week. We all need days that are a little bland so the great days don’t lose there sparkle. I need days that start at 6am and don’t end until I put Cole to bed (an hour late tonight) so I can appreciate the days when I’m able to slow down around dinner time. These days make me crave and appreciate the time I have for myself and my family.

While I know I need these days, I still don’t like them. I find myself wanting to sleep the day away so it can hurry up and be over. Sleeping the day away will not solve my problems. Sleeping the day away makes one yucky day turn into two yucky days. This lesson I have learned in life. What I haven’t quite learned is how to cope with days like today in a healthy manner. Getting grumpy with Christian is not healthy (not today anyways!). Throwing my hands up in the air and giving up isn’t productive. Searching for motivation on pinterest….well, that just makes me laugh. I’m great at making a to-do list of ten items turn into 100 because I’m feeling overwhelmed. When I feel like I don’t have time to clean the house, I can all of a sudden see all the other things that I can’t quite get done. The pile of school papers on the coffee table that don’t normally bother me turn into a mountain of papers that I can’t move.

I know (I hope) I’m not alone. Everyone has days like today. It’s just a part of the process. I’m trying to find a healthy way to deal with these moments in life.

Simplify. Instead of creating 90 more items for my to-do list, I’m simplifying. What really needs to get done? What am I creating in my head? If you read my post yesterday, you will see I scratched nearly everything of the “must do” list for Maute Moo’s arrival.

Declutter. Our house is notoriously messy. It’s not dirty. I scrub it every weekend. I’m just not good at cleaning up the house every single day. With two working parents, a kid, a dog, running, surfing, and just plain living, cleaning up every night is not my priority. This works for m 90% of the time. On days like today it does not work. Hello big mountain of school papers on our coffee table. I’ve found that if I clean our kitchen and pick up the clutter, I can breathe a little deeper.

Space. As needy as I feel during moments like today, I actually enjoy the quiet time to myself.  When I’m surrounded by other people, all I focus on is what I’m doing and what they aren’t doing. Hello grumpy Kristy. I’m notorious for pointing out everything I think Christian isn’t doing.  (Sorry!). Sometimes it is better for me to just fly solo (as solo as a mom can fly) on days like today.

Run. Nothing cures a day like today like running. I haven’t put on my running shoes since the Rock n Roll half marathon due to the hip/pelvic issues. I’m finally feeling relief and am not worried about running. It’s been almost 2 weeks. Am I surprised that life has become overwhelming at the same time I’m not running? Not at all. Running keeps me sane. Running gives me perspective. It simplifies my life. It declutters my brain. It gives me my much need me space.

Tomorrow morning I will be lacing up my running shoes. I’m run/walking until I don’t feel like run/walking anymore. I’m leaving the Garmin at home. Just knowing that I have a run to look forward to tomorrow morning makes me inhale and exhale a little easier. Not only do I have a run to look forward to tomorrow, I also have fall temperatures in my future. I am welcoming the cooler temperatures with open arms (and open windows) tonight.

Breathe. As soon as I start to feel overwhelmed, I need to remember to pay attention to my breath. It is always more shallow and less full when I’m feeling anxious. Taking 10 minutes to stop what I’m doing to simply breathe can instantly turn my day around. Maybe I need to tattoo Inhale. Exhale. on my body somewhere to remind myself. I always forget this simple effective technique.

Leave it to me to make a list for how to deal with days when I feel like I’m being swallowed whole by life and to-do lists!

How do you survive your days when life becomes too much?

And if nothing else goes right during the day, I get to sneak into Cole’s room before I go to bed and kiss him good night (for the 2nd time). This always makes me smile all the way down to my toes.