What would happen if you slowed things down a bit in your life? What’s the first thought that comes to mind? Any of these?
“Are you crazy? I wish I had 29 hours in a day to get everything done!”
“I wish I could, but I can’t!”
“Nothing would get done!”
Notice all these statements have an exclamation point after them (!). That’s our first clue that stress is involved. It can easily spread like a weed and become part of our daily lives and make us miserable. If we let it take over, it will. Let’s think about it.
The fact is, the world will not tilt off its axis if you let go of certain things in your life – or at least re-prioritize them. Some things are essential and come first. Some are necessary and come second. Others are neither and go to the bottom of the list – or take them off! Recognizing the difference is the first step.
If we laid out all of the things we do in a week that generate stress, we’d see some patterns, wouldn’t we?
Pattern 1: Saying Yes to Everything
Whether it’s requests from your family, friends, work, or the activities you’re a part of, each will ask you to do things for them. They all take time and energy out of what you can give in a day. Trying to be the hero and say yes to all of them can lead to burnout.
Pattern 2: Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Sure there are things that happen out of the blue that you can’t plan for, but if everything seems like an emergency, something is off. Being disorganized adds lots of drama and unnecessary stress that can be avoided. Find one place to keep your car keys. Keep a calendar and use checklists. Make a plan and work the plan.
The other side of the coin is being so chill, you’ve slowed down too much!
Pattern 3: Giving Up and Procrastinating
If life seems too much and you feel overwhelmed to the point that you drop down in front of the TV or your phone/tablet/computer and just fill the hours before bed, only to get up and do it again the next day, that’s not life. That’s just existing. So is numbing yourself with too much food, alcohol, prescription or other drugs and online shopping, hoarding, or gambling. This is a spiral that only makes things worse.
My wise friend Diane used to say, “Life isn’t about balance, it’s about balancing.” In other words, balance isn’t the goal because it only lasts a moment or two. There are too many outside factors that intrude and disrupt us. Balancing and rebalancing in response to them each day is the key. Get back to center each time.
In the book of Ecclesiastes 4:6 (NLT) we read:
“…‘Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind.’”
This verse was written about 950 B.C., showing us that this challenge of balancing life is nothing new! It’s all part of learning to create a good life. You have more choices than you may think you do. Be more selective in what you do each day and see the change it makes. I’ll join you!
RESET HIGHER: This is you talking to you now:
“What healthier boundaries do I need to create to reduce stress in my life?”
“What do I need to adjust to have more realistic expectations of what can be done during my day or week?”
Excellent topic and you did a great job ! You’re such a great writer and explain all of it so well . We all need balancing in our life’s and I need to get more organized and slow down because I know it will all get done , God gives me strength every day !
Thank you Ginger! So glad you were inspired! I wrote this because I need to work on it as well. It’s a new season – we can do this 🙂 Yes, God’s strength will help us for sure!