4. Life overwhelm.
It would be amazing if life always went according to plan. But of course, it doesn’t. As we just discussed, setbacks are inevitable and unexpected things will happen. And, in the midst of all those setbacks, you’ll also be dealing with everyday life. Every morning you have to rush to get to work and get your kids to school on time. And in the evenings, you have to figure out what to cook for dinner and argue with your spouse about who’s turn it is to do the dishes. Then after the kids are in bed, you zone out in front of Netflix as a means of distraction (ok, maybe this is just MY life). Either way, we all face unique life challenges that can leave us low on time, energy, and patience. And somewhere along the way, we have to scrounge up a few moments of peace and quiet, oh yeah, and sleep too. You’re simply overwhelmed and exhausted. So, the optimistic goals set at the top of the year soon become a distant memory.
I wish I had an easy prescriptive hack or solution for handling life overwhelm. I don’t. But what I do know, is that prioritizing self-care has helped me manage life overwhelm and avoid burnout. I’m not talking about manis and pedis. I’m not talking about going out to expensive spa days or shopping. What I’m talking about is getting enough sleep, making sure that I’m eating consistently, drinking lots of water, and dragging myself to the basement to get on that treadmill, even though I don’t feel like it. Indulging in these sacred, self-care practices help me manage my stress better, improve my energy level, and motivation to keep fighting the good fight. Being in a perpetual state of overwhelm will leave you in survival mode, only doing what’s needed to get from one day to the next. The more you prioritize self-care, the less likely you are to be swallowed up by the overwhelm of everyday life.