Balancing Act

The past couple weeks I've just felt like I might EXPLODE at any second. Like a bomb waiting to go off as I run on my mouse wheel from one location to the next. Luckily, I acknowledged I've been feeling this way and have been doing things to counteract that feeling.

I really like consistency, a lot. To a certain extent, I like doing the same thing over and over because it establishes a routine, and I like routines. I brush and floss my teeth the exact same way every time, starting in the top right (outer side of tooth to inner side), going to the left, then to the bottom right and back to the left. I wash dishes with the same methodology every time, fold all my towels the exact same way and if Vince does it differently I will refold it. I do this not only because it is extremely efficient (that's one of my favorite words, I LOVE efficiency) but because I know the outcome every time. I know how long it will take me to brush and floss, how many dishes I can wash before I have to change the water, and know that my towels will fit on the shelf perfectly and look nice.

I also like when there is a time for everything and I know what I have to do at specific moments throughout the day. The past few weeks have not had any kind of consistency to them, and it's been stressing me out. I've changed my work schedule a few times, changed my class schedule, changed my sleeping schedule, classes were canceled some days...too much change, even though I usually like it!

On top of that, I haven't been able to exercise as much, which is something I view as even more important than studying, but I haven't had time for that, either. Food is the number one thing in my life (because without healthy food, the rest of my life seems to crash and burn...I can't do much when I feel like crap!) and at the end of the day, that's all I've had time for.

But (there's always a but!) I've been working on that. This biggest and most helpful thing I've done is created this little sheet for the week that I can fill in the Sunday before.

I've written stuff down on it for next week, and already I feel SO much less stressed. After seeing it visually, I know everything is manageable and that I can easily handle the work/school load I have. I think my major problem before was that I wasn't able to have a complete grasp on everything that needed to be done, so I was constantly worrying that I was forgetting something, or imagining that I had so much more work to do than I really had. Now I just have to glance at the sheet and know that it's not all that much! Well, it's still a lot, but it's more manageable.

I've also been working on scheduling and organizing my time so that I do have moments to take care of all aspects of my life. I plan certain things on days that are easiest, like preparing snacks for the week on Sunday after grocery shopping and a few lunches for the days I'm not at home on a break, having my long workouts on days when I don't have a heavy class schedule, etc. Instead of waiting until I have time to do something, I just put it on the schedule.

Snacks!

Lastly, I've been saying no to things I know I can't do. I've been asked to volunteer for a couple things, watch a friends kid, help with this or that, and I've had to say no. I am such a people pleaser and it's really really hard for me to turn someone down, but for my sanity, I've had to do it! Saying no is what has allowed me to take time to myself, like going on a hike today with my best friend, and then going on a run on my own after. If I had said yes to all the things asked of me, I wouldn't have had an entire two days to myself this weekend! I only have one 'me' day since the other day is dedicated to school work and food prep for the week, but one day is enough to recharge myself for the week.

So that's that! I have 55 hours a week I need to be somewhere specifically which doesn't include homework time, I make all my meals at home, I need to workout multiple days a week and take care of my dog, and I need have a good relationship with my husband. Somehow it's all working out and I just need to keep reminding myself of that.