It’s hard to believe we’re a full week into the new year already. Suddenly new deadlines are upon us and time seems to be whizzing by! How do we prioritize all the important things we’re responsible for especially when there are so many uncertainties looming ahead?
It may feel like everything on the “to do” list has to be done all at once and we may feel overwhelmed.
How might we determine the order in which to complete each task without feeling like we want to put up a sign that says “OUT OF MY MIND, BE BACK IN 5 MINUTES!”
Then, when we finally seem to have everything under control, WHAM, something out of the blue happens again. What comes up for us at this moment?
When this sudden priority “upsets the apple cart”, we likely struggle to figure out how to get everything back in place while adding something new into the mix.
As we’ve all waited for another year to come to a close so we can implement that fresh new start, some of us may have already been experiencing an unsettling obstacle rearing its ugly head which can overturn our ‘apple cart’ in a big way. It can suddenly feel impossible to move forward into the new year as planned.
How could we move forward? We might feel paralyzed with disbelief, frozen in time, with fractured focus.
The best option, at that moment, may feel like we should bury our heads in the sand and pretend the issues don’t exist. Realistically, ignoring the concerns can likely make things much worse.
If we’re able to acknowledge how we take care of our health, celebrate what’s going well, and consider what’s vital to take care of now, we can then address the rest as necessary with some clarity. We need to put caring for ourselves at the top of the list for everything else to snap into its proper perspective.
How might it feel to put everything aside for just one day to take some “we” and “me” time to improve our ability to concentrate clearly. This action can help minimize stress symptoms enabling us to strategize with better clarity about the next steps.
So, what do we do when our “apple cart” gets turned over and all the apples fall out? How do we determine how to put all the apples back in the right order?
What is the right order? Should we put them back in the SAME order? Where might we position the new thing that comes up?
The answer for each of us is likely different.
Our brain may be saying I HAVE TO get all of these things done NOW. …Do we? What if we STOP, rethink, re-prioritize, and clear some clutter?
We all have deadlines to meet or goals we want to reach, right? How might we feel if we took a few deep, cleansing breaths? Then we can look at each ‘apple’ as we put it back in the cart determining when we must eat that apple before it spoils.
“Why not upset the apple cart? If you don’t the apples will rot anyway?” ~ Frank A. Clark
If we don’t view everything with equal importance simultaneously, it may then be possible to put our ‘apples’ back in our cart in the best order to get everything done appropriately.
How might it feel to ask for help? What tasks might we want to delegate to others? Who might benefit from this?
When might we ask others to help us? What feels important about this? If we most often care for others at work and home without prioritizing some “ME” time, are we taking the best care of ourselves?
How do we take care of ourselves when your apple cart is turned over? How might prioritizing “ME” time feel different when this happens?
“Don’t be afraid of change because it’s leading you to a new beginning.” ~ Joyce Meyer
Today is “ME” Monday®! Establishing this “ME” time routine can help strengthen our resilience for the next time the apple cart tips over.