Stressed & Blessed

Women's Health recently published an article titled "How To Do One Thing at a Time."  I rolled my eyes at the idea, but decided to read on since I'm a multitasker to fault. 

The article makes some good points, but what really hits home the most is the fact that when you try to balance too much at one time, you end up not doing things as well you normally would, which can lead to greater inefficiencies.  Ring the alarm!  I totally deal with self-imposed guilt when I know I've taken too much on and stuff that's important to me starts falling through the cracks.

This is how I'd like to think of myself... gracefully managing everything that's going while still looking fab:

But in reality, I've turned into one of those people that is constantly in a tizzy.  At least once a week I have an "OMG" moment where I feel pulled in a thousand directions and get paralyzed because there's just too much going on.  I think everyone feels that way at some point (let's face it, we're all busy), but I think it hits me especially hard because I'm so good, yet so bad, at multitasking. 

The result?  I can (and do) manage it all, but it's not pretty.  I always have a hundred things on my mind, I'm constantly late or having to cancel plans because there's just one more thing I need to get done, and even when I should be focusing on one task, my mind is running a thousand miles an hour and thinking about other stuff I have going on.  To top it off, I tend to put important things like eating at sleeping at the bottom of the priority list, which leaves me feeling like crap on a daily basis.  No bueno!  It's a problem, and I know I need to keep working on slowing down and enjoying the present.

On a more positive note, just lately I've started embracing the power of "no" and recognizing when I can't take on another project, or agree to do something when I just don't have time.  It helps to be honest, and after the initial guilt, I get over it and feel much better.  And of course, writing this blog, as sporadic as it is, has helped me take a step back and think about what's going on (or not going on) in my life.  So thank you, bloggerverse, and to everyone that reads and leaves me love!

I saw a sign the other day that made me cringe.  It read "Too Blessed To Be Stressed."  It made me feel, well....unblessed.  But once I got to thinking about it, I'm actually stressed because I'm blessed.  I have great opportunities and wonderful people in my life, and even if everything does get overwhelming at times, I'm.so.lucky. 

To each their own.