The Key To Living A Stress Free Life
by Tara Pringle Jefferson
I’m starting graduate school in the fall. I will be in class two nights a week, getting home anywhere between 8 and 9:30, after working a full day at work. Then I’ll have assignments and reading to do, plus the upkeep of my blog and my posts here at BMWK. Plus housework and kicking it with my family.
Yeah, I’m gonna need help.
And I’m FINALLY at the point where I can accept that fact. Before, I would have just driven myself crazy trying to make sure that the fridge stayed stocked, the clothes were always clean, dinner was hot and ready to go at 5:30 and I was still available to be the super nice, sexy wife.
Not this time. This time I’m sitting down and coming up with a list of things I can do to make my life easier. And heck, isn’t that what we all want? I was inspired by my buddy Akilah and the wisdom she spits in her book and to anyone who’ll listen. She always knows what to say to anyone who feels like they’re on the ledge.
So I’ve been thinking. What’s my priority? If I have some free time, how do I absolutely need to be spending it? For the next two years, it’s going to be family + school. Period.
So here’s my list. I challenge you to write your own list, of things you are currently doing but need to quit. These are things that are not adding to your life, but rather, draining energy you could be using to do something more enjoyable, like, say, SLEEP!
1) Quit relying solely on relatives to watch the kids. I’m getting a babysitter. I know I’m fortunate to have parents who love to have their grandbabies over for the entire weekend, but they can’t drop everything for me every time I need a break. Shoot, grandma needs to have a life too! My mom was a young mom and I sometimes I feel like I’m getting in the way of her finally enjoying her empty nest. I’m getting a good babysitter and she will become my best buddy as I try to get this degree.
2) I’m going to finally, once and for all, accept the fact that my house will not look like two adults live here, but that this is a home of a family of four. And the two littlest ones are toddlers. They make messes. I won’t freak out.
3) I’m going to buy a planner and I am going to put my life in that thing. I will schedule study time, and relaxation time, and cooking time and playtime with the kids. If I gotta do it, it’s going in there. I don’t need to be thinking about what’s next. I will simply look down and say, “Why, yes, I do have to go grocery shopping today.”
4) Work on more projects that pay me actual MOOLA! Some projects are near and dear to my future goals, so those will stay, but these other gigs that are just “nice to do” but don’t put any money in my pocket so I can actually afford the aforementioned babysitter? They have to get cut back, or eliminated completely.
5) Go for a walk every morning. Before I go to work, I have to clear my head and get my mind right. Taking that early morning time to start my day on the right foot is going to pay off, I’m sure.
Now it’s your turn. Give me one thing that you can do that will make your life easier – starting today. Don’t be shy – let me hear you!
Comments (7)
I so feel like you are speaking about my life. I was laid off from my former job as a nurse almost a year ago, and although I count it as a blessing, I am having difficulty keeping up with everyone and everything that needs to be done. I am a 30 year old mother of two, wife, and now a student all over again. I decided to return to school for social work, and I am so excited about my future, although at the same time, I get frustrated trying to keep up with my homework and the kid's, keep a clean house, cook a halfway decent meal instead of eating out all the time, find time for myself and my husband, all while remaining sane! So, I am taking some of your suggestions to heart, and please let me know of anything else you can come up with!! LOL...Good luck on your journey as well.