The pool where I swim Masters.
Do you ever wonder why sometimes life is slow and easy and then bam! We get overwhelmed with everything? I’ve been feeling that way all week. There’s a lot of stuff going on in this crappy year called 2020. I’m having trouble dealing with all the emotions hitting me.
Here’s how I try to cope when I’m feeling overwhelmed:
ROUTINE
I try not to mess with my established routine. For going on six years, I have followed Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” and it’s served me well. I start the day with three pages of journaling, a long walk and prayer. Even when I’ve got a crazy schedule or upheaval in my life, there’s no way I’ll cheat myself of this time to get my head and body refreshed and ready for the day.
SWIM
Exercise is so important to staying stress free and to keep your mind clear. Unfortunately I have a tendency to let go of swim practice when I’m too busy. It’s my hope to be consistent with three practices a week. I’ve got a good start until this week and I took a few days off and it’s not helping me.
PRIORITIZE and ORGANIZE
Figure out exactly what you need to get done and let go of the other stuff. When I’m juggling a bunch of projects at once, I figure out what is most important. If I do the harder tasks or work I don’t want to do first, the rest is easy. Getting the clutter out of the way helps, too. My daughter is big on color coding her work and putting it on a white board or calendar. I’m going to try color folders for each of my projects so I’m not searching through papers on my desk.
WORK AHEAD
When I have a few minutes of free time, I work ahead. Last week I was waiting on work, so instead of surfing the internet and reading news online, I made a list of everything I needed to get done for this week — and jumped in on it. Lists are my saving grace. I start each day with a list of to dos and work my way through the day. Then, I make a list for the next day, and start in on that, too. One of my friends told me she crosses things off her daily lists with a red pen. I’ve adopted that and it’s so satisfying!
Views from my morning walk.
What are your methods to stay on track and focused when things seem out of control?
I’m like you. I have established routines that I follow throughout the day. My biggest problem is still lack of space and too many people. I’m about to go for a walk to escape a bit
I have my husband working remotely from home. One too many peoples for me!
So with you!
Omg lists are key for me as well. My focus has been much better ever since I began bullet journalling, because most of my daily spread involves writing a to-do list and checking them off. Without them, I’ll probably fill my free time with trash.
I used to use a Daytimer two-page-a-day calendar. But I’m finding a simple list on a pad of paper works just as well!