Getting Away From It All
February 15, 2009
Have you ever felt smothered by life? Do your daily activities wear you down to the point that you feel totally useless to everyone who matters to you? In times like this, you just need to get away from it all.
When life bogs you down
For many, the very idea of becoming overwhelmed with life is, well…overwhelming. Running here and there, saying yes to everything everyone asks you to do, making promise on top of promise that even you aren’t sure you can keep is exhausting. It’s enough to drive even the sanest person nuts.
All these little things begin piling up, until a mountain sits before you, waiting to be climbed. You stand before that mountain scared and mentally weary, and you don’t know what to do. So instead of dropping some of the baggage pulling you down, you keep piling on more, until you’ve slowed to a crawl and can barely move.
How to stop it
The first thing you have to do when you reach that looming mountain is stop. Drop your luggage. Breathe. Recognize that you can’t do this alone. Everyone needs help at some point. If this is the point where you need help, then by all means ask for it. Don’t suffer another step alone.
Another thing to pause here and take note of is that often times, those who find themselves in this predicament are repeating similar patterns created by their own parents. Was your father a workaholic? Did your mother obsess over a spotless home? More often than not, these compulsive preoccupations bleed over from one generation to the next. If you watched your mother take on more than she could handle, chances are you will try to do the same thing.
Follow the escape route
It won’t be easy, but you have to map an escape route. Figure out how to cope with your heavy load without it driving you into the ground. Asking for help is the simplest, and yet most underutilized way to lighten your load. Here are some more tips that might help you:
- Create a “helper’s list” that includes jobs for everyone to share in your household.
- Hire a teenager to help you out for a few weeks.
- Get a babysitter and leave town for 2-3 days.
- Use a yearly calendar to plan ahead.
- Start a car pool for kid activities.
- Take 30 minutes each day, just for you.
