2016 was a big year for me personally. It started off with sadness and grief which ended with a type of busy-ness and craziness that I never want to experience again.

I was tired, exasperated and overwhelmed. Then, with being run down, comes the eventual bugs and viruses that take advantage of a tired, defenseless body.  

When things got real….

The end of the year was quickly approaching and I wanted a change. I was exhausted. Why can’t I keep going? What’s WRONG with me?!? My diet. I’ll improve my diet. Rest. I am trying! A chill pill. Where do I get one of those?!? I found myself in my Naturopath’s treatment room. Help me! “….Darling” She said. “Look at you. I know you don’t want to hear this but you are so busy. You do too much. Your body just can’t cope anymore.”

I left not knowing whether to feel empowered or defeated. That did not go the way I expected. I wrote a list of what I do in my week. Everything. From sleep, work, housework, exercise to cooking dinner. Everything.

That’s it… I need a list

I stared at my list. My gosh! I’ve completely lost my Total Balance. I haven’t just lost it. I have completely thrown in out the window, backed over it and sped off in the opposite direction. How did I do this? WHY did I do this?

I made the choice to be too busy…. why?

The world we live in is busy. We are all busy. But why? Does it serve us a purpose? No! It creates exhaustion and unhappiness. How often do you ask how a person how they are and their response is ‘busy’? We frequently get it at the clinic. So why do we allow ourselves to get wrapped up in this busy-ness?

Right, time to clean up my days

#1: Identify what you want in your days. What is at the top of your priority list. 

#2: what are the things that you have to do. Work. School. The kids swimming lessons. What is a must have. Don’t lie to yourself about what is a must have….! Put those on your weekly schedule

#3: Put in sleep

#4: Put in YOU TIME…. FAMILY TIME….. REST TIME!!!!!

#5: What is left on your list. Everything else has to fit around all the above. What needs to be culled. Guess what. You have to say ‘no’ to some things.

Learning to say…… no

This is a strategy in which you need to stay strong. You need to actually think of yourself. Something in which many of us see as being selfish…. But is it?

If you struggle to say ‘no’, remember this.

By not saying no to something, you are sacrificing something else.

So, what is that something else.

Is it sleep, the kids, family time… you time. Are you prepared to make those sacrifices. Because if your suffering from busy-ness, and it just doesn’t all fit into your week….. you need to be comfortable with that in oder to be happy. For me, sleep, exercise and time with my family were being sacrificed. I was not happy with that. I really had to ask myself…. when Jobe is older, will I be thankful that I was so busy when he was young. The answer is a no-brainer really. 

So, if you feel this way too, what are you comfortable with. What are you happy with. If you are not happy with the current situation…. There is really only one question.

What changes are you going to make to regain your balance?

This blog post is an educational tool only.  It is not a replacement for medical advice from a registered and qualified doctor or health professional.

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