The New “Norm”
November 27, 2023
Am I the only one with ridiculous brain clutter right now? From daily overstimulation from my surroundings, to the never-ending to do list, the endless chores staring at me, but forgetting why I just walked into the kitchen… AHHHH! I don’t even know where to start.
I’ve had similar conversations with different people on how life seems to be extra charged and tense for some reason. By this I mean, it’s not just one task or person needing your attention in an orderly fashion: no- it’s so much more. It’s the scenario where you realize the items you ran out of and went to the grocery store for, are the exact items you forgot to grab while you were at the store, and your not-so-compliant toddler (the one that didn’t get their regular nap because you had to run your errands) is yelling in the background when you’re trying to hear your other kid who’s calling you because they got sick at school and need to be picked up. But as you're getting home with your children and most of your groceries, your toddler needs be carried because they are too tired to exist, and as you’re shifting everything just right to maximize your trip (to avoid the 3rd trip to the car), you walk through the door, your grocery bag rips and you accidently drop the bag (that was ripping your wrist off your body) with the gallon of milk you needed to make it through the end of the week and it SPLATTERS everywhere and now you, your toddler, AND the kitchen you finally got to mop - are now COVERED in milk (and soon to be your tears). So now, before your toddler can get to their nap, they need a bath first; oh, and something to eat, too. [Side note, the run-on sentences and poor grammar was 100% intentional this time.]
That is the kind of charged I’m talking about. And yes, that is real life. But it didn’t used to be this way. However, now it seems this is the new “norm”. Well, if anyone’s asking me, I am not a fan. I am officially THAT MOM that looks as disheveled as I feel. Well, I can say I used to look and feel cute.
Nonetheless, I am realizing the importance of the thoughts rolling around in my head. Too quickly, they can spiral out of control and leave my family (and day) in its wake. Understandably, when you have days like that, I think that would make anyone feel crazy. Not that I wish that on anyone else, but please tell me I am not alone.
I am thankful to say, I am able to meet with a counselor regularly, and during one of my conversations, I mentioned that I was frustrated with how out of balance and overwhelming my life feels at times. They asked me how many people I know who have a balanced life. This was dumbfounding to me. I have been exhausting myself constantly trying to obtain this ideal of “balance” which truthfully it is just not going to happen anytime soon. Instead, I was challenged to start integrating different things into my schedule that will help me set myself up for success. Again, my mind was blown. Instead of being in this rat race, mind racing with, “why can’t I seem to get it together?” I can just say, “hey, that didn’t go as I had hoped, but next time, I can try, 'xyz’.’ This instantly took so much pressure off my shoulders.
My friend, if you are feeling overwhelmed or out of balance, what is something you can integrate into your day or schedule to help yourself out? For me, there were small things that made a big difference. Like, making sure I scheduled some time to do something I enjoy; I love doing jigsaw puzzles. It gets my brain focused on something else, and I have a sense of accomplishment. Like I said, it was little, but such a good reset for me.
So, what’s your thing? What do you want your new “norm” to look like? What is the next step to make that happen? How can you integrate that in?
Sincerely,
Mea