Have you ever had one of those weeks when you just want to scream? When it seems like everything is closing in? When you have so many things on your “to do” list you don’t know what to do. There are too many things that are a priority. Your phone is ringing off the hook. Your emails just won’t stop. And it seems like everybody needs something from you right now.
Well that has been my week. It has been so crazy that one day I came right home from work, put on my pj’s and went right to sleep. It was about 7:30. I usually wake up during the night when I go to sleep that early. But this night I didn’t. I slept all the way through. This is my busy time at work and I am working six days a week. Even though I know that January and February will be very busy, it still seems to catch me off guard. It is during this time that I have to make sure to take care of me.
When you are dealing with impatient customers, and mediating arguments and disagreements, it can begin to wear on you. At these times my neck and shoulders tighten up. My heart starts beating faster and I start to become impatient at things that normally wouldn’t bother me. And I eat too much junk. Potato chips is my weakness. After a day of that, I only want to go home and rock in my rocking chair.
I had to come up with a different way of handling these feelings of overwhelm and stress. One thing that always works for me is deep breathing. While I am sitting through yet one more customer outburst, I inhale and exhale deeply a few times. This calms me instantly. Sometimes I have to get up and put myself in a self-imposed timeout. It works for adults too. I find a quiet spot where I can just get my composure again. I stop thinking about the issues at hand and just let my brain chill. If I am at home, I like to color. I don’t care what else needs to be done. Just the time it takes to complete a page in my adult coloring book helps me to get myself together. I also love listening to music. I have soothing relaxation songs on my playlist. And, of course I always depend on prayer and affirmations.
Being overwhelmed and stressed is not good for you. You need to come up with some techniques that help you relax when your life is moving at warp speed.
