Life happens to everyone and that tagline, “Life comes at you fast” sure is true.
So how does one stay organized and sane during a season of diverted focus?
Some examples are planning for a wedding, birth, trip, or other big occasion, upcoming surgery, caretaking of a family member dealing with an illness or recovery process, or any host of other major life events.
Here are some things that I learned while preparing for my husband’s back surgery that may be helpful to others:
Be kind to yourself.
Everything will NOT get done during this time. Accept it and do the best you can.
I often rely on the wise words of Art Williams, “All you can do is all you can do, but all you can do is enough.”
Prioritize each day.
Or even each hour. What absolutely HAS to get done?
Focus on those action items.
Make sure that critical bills get paid.
Set up automatic payments, pay ahead, or make special arrangements.
Make routine payments as easy as possible so you don’t have to worry about them.
You are dealing with enough; you certainly don’t need the added stress of a sudden episode of unexpected chaos or service interruption.
Enlist help.
Family and friends DO want to help; let them.
When people ask if they can help, say yes.
Give them a specific task you need to get done that you know they can handle.
Let them stock your freezer and pantry. Maybe they can mow your yard.
Allow them to bless you with their help, and anything that they do frees up
your time and energy.
Get plenty of rest.
It is amazing what a 20 minute nap can do.
Just resting your eyes from all of the visual stimuli in our world helps.
Embrace moments of quiet.
Make time for fun and laughter.
Get away from the situation at hand, even if it is only for a short while.
Allow yourself to get your mind off of it and have some fun.
It will not be wasted time; it will work wonders for your mood and energy level.
When all else fails, have a good cry and a bowl of ice cream.
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