When I'm working, I always feel like life is a house of cards, where one small issue (kids getting sick, rain causing kid bike commute issues, schedule changes, chores not getting done) has the potential to create mass havoc. Mostly because, it does. Our lives are super tightly organized & optimized, in order to survive. If things go sideways, even small things, it causes a lot of stress, as there's minimal wiggle room.
One of my first observations of my sabbatical is that the house of cards feeling has diminished a bit. It rained yesterday, which means the kids needed rides to/from school, and one kid couldn't bike to soccer practice (it was moved). Normally, that would cause a bunch of chaos. Instead, I shifted my plans & everything came together rather easily. In fact, I helped another mom who was in a pinch.
It's a very small feeling of change, but has been very interesting to observe. I'm also less stressed in the evenings generally (that's when my APAC team comes online, and also when I'm hail mary trying to shove a bunch of chores into a narrow time window). I'm reading more instead of being on the computer, which is also a welcome break.
I'm going to try & blog more, but also just generally observe how it feels to be less busy. I'll share as I go!
Once each of my kids got their drivers license, the stress level of transportation alone was cut in half. They and we were lucky that a car was available for them, but even if they had to use one of ours, not having to be the one to stop and start so often would have been helpful. I can see how slight changes will change your view. Perhaps once you go back to work, you'll know what it are the biggest game changers and work to incorporate them into the revised work regime.
ReplyDeleteM & I were just talking about that over dinner. Once I go back to work, I can tell that there will be certain non negotiables that I'll more clearly understand how they impact me, and do a better job of prioritizing.
DeleteI remember those days. In fact I would suffer from anxiety right before school started as I knew how the schedule would ramp up!
ReplyDeleteFor.sure. I'm sleeping so much better, it's crazy. My anxiety dreams are almost gone!
DeleteEnjoy the time you have and slow down. Sometimes learning to live at a slower pace is hard.
ReplyDeleteI'm right there in the process of learning - definitely not there yet, but I did sit by the pool today & read my book while I ate lunch. I started to feel guilty, but reminded myself that slowing down was the goal!
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