For years, when I have felt overwhelmed, I have turned to the coping mechanism of sleep. When I worked at 911/Police Dispatch, I learned a vital new skill for being overwhelmed: pick the most important task, complete it, move on to the next. Repeat until the chaos dies down .. because eventually it will.
I often try to employ this new, more productive coping skill in my home life. Right now, I have a list a mile long of things to accomplish before November 18th (the date that I'm hosting an event at our home). About an hour ago, I found myself sitting on my couch, frozen with indecision and an utter lack of motivation.
I tried to put myself in "dispatch" mode .. to no avail. I didn't want to paint. I didn't want to shop. I absolutely did not want to do one more load of laundry. Unlike dispatching - where inaction can have disastrous results - all of those things could wait. Still, they niggled at my conscience, my to-do list calling to me from the kitchen - making my brain beg me for sleep, even though I wasn't tired.
I finally opted for neither work nor sleep; instead, I decided it was time to take the focus off of Ronda for a while. Truly, nothing brings me greater joy than making a difference in someone's life (or even their day) .. and luckily I know an incredibly easy way to do that each day. I simply clicked on the following websites and in less than 5 minutes, helped to accomplish some pretty amazing things.
The Hunger Site ... where, after clicking today, I was told: "Your click helps feed the hungry with the value of 1.1 cups of staple food. Today, you and others have generated the value of 90,810 cups of food."
The Rainforest Site ... where, after clicking today, I was told: "Your click has funded the preservation of 11.4 square feet of endangered rainforest. Today, you and others have protected the value of 579,883 square feet of land."
The Animal Rescue Site ... where, after clicking today, I was told: "Your click provided the value of .6 bowls of food and care to a rescued animal in a shelter or sanctuary. Today, you and others have generated the value of 50,550 bowls of food."
The Literacy Site ... where, after clicking today, I was told: "Your click, along with others' today, helps children in need discover the joy of books. Today, you and others have generated the value of 468 books for children in need."
The Breast Cancer Site ... where, after clicking today, I was told: "Your click, along with others today, will fund free mammograms for women in need! On Nov.03, you and others who clicked on the "Fund Free Mammograms" button funded 12.7 mammograms for underprivileged women."
The Child Health Site ... where, after clicking today, I was told: "Your click, along with others' today, provides basic but critical health services to more than 1,000 children. Each click helps prevent life-threatening diseases, restore vision to blind children, and enable child amputees to walk. Today, you and others have helped 867 children with your daily click."
Ultimately, not one thing on my to-do list will take only five minutes to accomplish. But in that amount of time, incredible things - all infinitely more important than uncut coupons - were! And all without being the least bit overwhelming.
Ahhh. I really do feel much better. Maybe, since I'm spreading the love, I'll go pet the cats for a while. That's gotta be somewhere on that long list ...
I often try to employ this new, more productive coping skill in my home life. Right now, I have a list a mile long of things to accomplish before November 18th (the date that I'm hosting an event at our home). About an hour ago, I found myself sitting on my couch, frozen with indecision and an utter lack of motivation.
I tried to put myself in "dispatch" mode .. to no avail. I didn't want to paint. I didn't want to shop. I absolutely did not want to do one more load of laundry. Unlike dispatching - where inaction can have disastrous results - all of those things could wait. Still, they niggled at my conscience, my to-do list calling to me from the kitchen - making my brain beg me for sleep, even though I wasn't tired.
I finally opted for neither work nor sleep; instead, I decided it was time to take the focus off of Ronda for a while. Truly, nothing brings me greater joy than making a difference in someone's life (or even their day) .. and luckily I know an incredibly easy way to do that each day. I simply clicked on the following websites and in less than 5 minutes, helped to accomplish some pretty amazing things.
The Hunger Site ... where, after clicking today, I was told: "Your click helps feed the hungry with the value of 1.1 cups of staple food. Today, you and others have generated the value of 90,810 cups of food."
The Rainforest Site ... where, after clicking today, I was told: "Your click has funded the preservation of 11.4 square feet of endangered rainforest. Today, you and others have protected the value of 579,883 square feet of land."
The Animal Rescue Site ... where, after clicking today, I was told: "Your click provided the value of .6 bowls of food and care to a rescued animal in a shelter or sanctuary. Today, you and others have generated the value of 50,550 bowls of food."
The Literacy Site ... where, after clicking today, I was told: "Your click, along with others' today, helps children in need discover the joy of books. Today, you and others have generated the value of 468 books for children in need."
The Breast Cancer Site ... where, after clicking today, I was told: "Your click, along with others today, will fund free mammograms for women in need! On Nov.03, you and others who clicked on the "Fund Free Mammograms" button funded 12.7 mammograms for underprivileged women."
The Child Health Site ... where, after clicking today, I was told: "Your click, along with others' today, provides basic but critical health services to more than 1,000 children. Each click helps prevent life-threatening diseases, restore vision to blind children, and enable child amputees to walk. Today, you and others have helped 867 children with your daily click."
Ultimately, not one thing on my to-do list will take only five minutes to accomplish. But in that amount of time, incredible things - all infinitely more important than uncut coupons - were! And all without being the least bit overwhelming.
Ahhh. I really do feel much better. Maybe, since I'm spreading the love, I'll go pet the cats for a while. That's gotta be somewhere on that long list ...
