LIVING ROOM MEMORIES 10 

(September 19, 2006)

It’s happening again. Something that happens to me over and over it seems.

I take on one little thing. It’s little – can’t hurt, can it? Then I take on another little thing. And the little things lead to other things. I find it so hard to say no when I’m asked to do something. I love doing so many things. But, unasked for, the little things turn into big things.

And I begin to feel tired, even when I don’t seem to be doing very much. And the things that are little begin to seem big, even though they aren’t.

This must be what’s called “stress”. And the funny thing about stress is that it doesn’t go away by resting. I have to just carry on, one little item at a time, and find activities to relax me in between.

I know that this feeling is a wake-up call. Maybe I’m not organizing my life the way I should. Maybe it’s not balanced enough. I’ll have to watch that I don’t fall off this tightrope I’m walking.

So what can I do that might help? Take a nap? Go for a walk? Visit a friend? Read a book? What kind of a book? Do some cooking? Clean up the bedroom? I know that any one of these things “might” help. But none of those would help get rid of the work I have to do – the stuff that is pressing on my brain, making my entire body feel weary.

The best thing of all that I know of is to make a list. When I make a list and check things off as I accomplish them, my responsibilities don’t seem nearly as heavy as they are in my mind. As I work I can tick off my accomplishments. And as I tick them off, my burdens become lighter. Things aren’t nearly as bad as they seem.