Good and timely topic as I’m currently dealing with the
chaos of moving during a major holiday season. Sigh. Just this morning I was
heading down the serious anxiety attack path but a good friend is coming over
later to organize and help unpack. I’ve been unpacking a few boxes a day but I
swear the pile was regenerating itself overnight. Add to that a cat who was
extremely upset and spent THREE DAYS (and nghts) roaming the new place yowling
at the top of his lungs, and yup, I was pretty well fried.
The cat is happier now that I’ve got some major things
unpacked and arranged. I found one of his favorite cat toys and we spent a lot
of time with him sitting on my lap, being petted and admired.
I’m trying to write and release on a much more rapid pace in
2018, plus there’s the ongoing political situation, and so yes, I’d say this is
a time frame where I do need to deploy any and all proven techniques for
managing my stress and staying productive.
First of all, being a morning person, I eat a good
breakfast. Being hungry makes me off balance and less capable.
Then I have my To Do List. I keep a big running, list, where
I jot down things as they occur to me, lest they be forgotten, but then I have
my prioritized shortlist for the day, which contains only the top 3-5 things
that MUST be done today or all Chaos will break loose. Truly. Often I find when
I actually sit down to put together the list, the formless black cloud of impending
doom and anxiety I’ve been under shrinks to a tiny dustball. It usually turns
out that I’ve been wildly overthinking what actually has to be done on any
given day. I also break large tasks down into smaller ones, to make the effort
manageable. Maybe I make the first phone call about an interview today, then
tomorrow I do the followup, then the day after I write the post and so forth.
There’s a lot of second tier-organization happening behind the way I work.
I devour magazines and serious news commentary. I love the
back to back shows of Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow in the evening…but you
know, sometimes it’s all just too much. There’s just a tidal wave of events
going on in the world that frustrate me and upset me and scare me (nuclear war
anyone?) and I’ve come to realize that on occasion I have to not be the most informed person on all
of the breaking news and analysis. I voted, I’ll vote again, I contact my
representatives when something really concerns me, I make my donations to candidates
and causes I support…so it’s ok if I skip the news cycle some days and go binge
watch “Making the Team”. Most of the things that happen in Washington DC, or as
a result of events in DC, don’t affect me personally
(although some do, of course) and neither can I wave a magic wand and do anything about them, so it’s no use
for me to get all spun up.
Social media is the same – I LOVE to be on twitter and also spend
a lot of time on Facebook throughout the day. But there are days I have to walk
away from it, whether there’s an author kerfluffle going on, or more of the
political stuff. If I don’t see the tweets and posts, they won’t create anxiety
for me.
I also know when I’m done for the day and it’s time to stop
pushing to get tasks crossed off the list. I sit with the cat and read, or
watch TV or a movie, and relax. I know I’ll be full of energy again in the
morning and ready to tackle the next day’s To Do List.
Best wishes to you for a very happy New Year!
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| Jake hangs out in the china cabinet during the move |
