Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Ten Lessons To Learn From A Stressful Month


As I said in this post, the month of September pretty much kicked my ass. It always seems to prove to be a difficult one for me as I always seem to have a hard time saying goodbye to summer months and transitioning into the school year, new routines and procedures and life. This September was no different, especially with me starting a new job and Aiden starting a new school.

I worked. A lot. I worked. Hard. It was crazy.

Between motherhood, my demanding day job, freelance projects, deadlines, missed deadlines, socializing, and sleeping (in that order), I found myself quite literally counting down the days until October. (I always get into a regular routine by October and I need routines in my life in order to be effective.)

But this September and this time around, I learned a few things. And if I can take some lessons away from the stressful month, I guess it's worth it.

1. It's impossible to do everything all at once and do it well. Prioritizing makes life easier.

2. I can't please everyone at all times and still make myself happy. It just ain't feasible, y'all.

3. No matter how busy life gets, it's important to keep promises. Or at least try to.

4. When I can't keep promises (because that'll happen from time to time), apologize for it, and keep it moving. I'm only human and can't dwell on one thing gone wrong.

5. "No" is a complete sentence. And sometimes putting my best foot forward means saying "no" to things that'll deserve more time than I can devote to it.

6. Being busy is one thing. But it's important to make time for the things that truly matter.

7. It's important to be conscious of how I treat other people. Often times we can get so caught up on someone else hurting us and our feelings that we don't realize we are capable of hurting other people's feelings. Unfortunately, that'll happen and we'll have to deal with it. Gracefully.

8. Motherhood has a way of teaching you the true meaning of sacrifice. Funny thing is, it doesn't feel like sacrifice. It just feels a lot like love.

9. Working out consistently will make you happy. True story.

10. This too, shall pass. It always does. And it always turns out to be okay. 

Life is funny in that way...

8 comments:

  1. Yes, working out has been quite a happiness booster for me. These were some great key points. Several of them served as reminders for me. I'm picking the ball back up on prioritizing and learning to say no.

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  2. Alicia, are you sure you didn't reach inside my brain and write this post for me? Because I really think you did.

    It is so tough for me during this time of year. My husband works long hours, which pretty much makes everything around here my job. Not only that, no family lives close by (all live at least an hour away), so a sitter for an hour or two isn't even possible for me during the week. I'm not really whining or complaining -- because I'm very fortunate -- but I'm not gonna pretend it's not tough. Working, going to school, raising a child, and trying to keep my house from drowning in clutter is kinda overwhelming.

    But I remember many of the points you made in this post. I can't do it all ALL the time. I'm only one person. I can't please everybody. And the exercise thing? I'm pretty sure running a few days a week has kept my stress level from getting out of hand. Yep, true story here, too.

    So, yeah, you totally stole this post from my head. :) I hope October brings you a little more time for YOU.

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  3. transitions are no fun! but all the stress and anxiety does pass. thanks for the guidance/tips

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  4. You've had so many new transitions in September that it's understandable what you're going through. But sounds like you know your priorities and have a good head on your shoulders. You'll get through all of this!

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  5. Girl, I truely don't know how you do it all! You make it look so easy and natural. Rockn mama, administrator, freelancer, and you still socialize...Those points you made need to be printed and posted on all our refrigerators.

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  6. These are great...especially the sacrifice that feels like love...so true!

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  7. I so agree with all these points and AMEN at #8!

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  8. Amen to all of that. I've enjoyed browsing your blog...its been too long! I really love #10.

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