Overcoming Overwhelm
It’s only when you take a step back and look at your life from a different angle that you see the changes you need to make.
I know it sounds a little corny, but I love my job. Sure, there are plenty of mornings when the alarm goes off at 5:10am and all I want to do is pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep. However, as soon as the first Fit My Day class gets rolling I am so grateful for this community I get to work with.
I also love having a busy little family with three children who sign themselves up for every event under the sun, and now a new puppy in the mix. It’s really busy but this is a choice I made and I like it that way.
That being said, no matter how fun something is, there comes a point when you find yourself running around so much you simply don’t have time to enjoy it. As the year kicked off and the kids headed back to school and work requirements started picking up again, I found myself feeling overwhelmed and realised pretty quickly that the current situation was not sustainable. I needed to make changes - and fast.
If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got. Nothing changes unless you make it change.
The next weekend, I went away with three of my dearest friends. I shared my concerns and we talked through some ways to make immediate and effective change in order to reduce the pressure. By the end of the weekend, I had simple plans in place that could be actioned straight away, including bringing on a new Fit My Day team member, which I will tell you more about in a moment.
How to know if you’re reaching “overwhelm”
You are having difficulty either getting to sleep and / or staying asleep.
You wake up feeling exhausted every morning.
You are forgetting things (even more than usual!).
You find yourself reacting emotionally to situations that you are usually able to manage.
Your diet is suffering and you find yourself skipping meals, snacking and making bad choices.
Your exercise program has gone out the window.
You can’t remember the last time you did something “just for fun”.
You have a consistent feeling of anxiety wondering what you have forgotten / still need to do.
You feel like there is no end in sight.
How to make changes
For the next 7 days, write down what you spend your time doing in half hour increments. How many hours are you working, preparing food, picking up children, cleaning, washing, ironing, exercising, driving and more? Develop a clear overview of what your week looks like and how you divide your time.
Before you take the next step, it’s essential to find “your person” who knows you and your situation. Set up a time to sit with them and work through the next steps together. You will never make the hard decisions yourself - you need that partner, friend or sibling who will help you look in on your life from a different angle.
Now you need to make some decisions. What are the things in your week that are taking most of your time? Some of these things you may enjoy and won’t want to change. You need to work out what it is that is taking time that you don’t enjoy. Is there a way you can take these tasks out of your life or get help with them? There is always something you can change in order to make your life run more effectively.
Ideas foR change
Assign more jobs to members of your family e.g. ask your partner to take over the washing, make the kids prepare their own lunches, have a family weekend working bee to clean the bathrooms.
If you are spending hours in the car driving getting kids to and from school and activities, organise car pools with other families to share the load.
If you are spending hours in the kitchen, cook in bulk and freeze.
If you are dealing with long work hours, assess whether there are any changes you can make in order to streamline processes in this area.
Consider home delivery of groceries.
Consider a meal delivery service one or two nights a week such as Hello Fresh or Marley Spoon.
Consider getting some extra help at home for a period of time such as an ironing or cleaning service.
By taking the time to step back and look at your life from a different angle you may be surprised to find that some simple tweaks will give you the breathing room you need to enjoy what you already have.
“If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four sharpening the saw”
WELCOME LUCY, Fit My Day’s new team member
When looking at my week recorded hour by hour, I realised how much time I spend doing administration, emailing, updating etc. So my simple solution was to find a team member to come on board with Fit My Day to reduce some of the workload. I am so excited to have Lucy Cooper join us as our administration assistant. Lucy is going to be a wonderful addition to our team and will give me more time to come up with fun new ways to keep you all fit and strong.
by Angie Black
ANGIE BLACK
BLOG CATERGORIES:
