“Nope, I can’t do it. I can’t fit one more thing in my head today.”
You know those weeks when there is so much going on that the thought of adding another thing might just make you explode?
I’ve been there so many times.
As Mama’s there is so much we have to show up for, think about and remember and sometimes it piles up into a nice little (or big) meltdown. Last week I could feel it coming, but before it did, I used a little hack that has helped me a bunch of times to simplify the overwhelm I’m feeling.
It’s inspired by a poem I came across quite serendipitously when I was in this place a few months ago. The poem is called “Do the next thing” by Unknown, part of it simply says:
“And on through the hours the quiet words ring, Like a low inspiration: DO THE NEXT THING.” Unknown (Poem: Do the next thing)
So I decided to implement the suggestion and simply ‘do the next thing.’ To literally only think about the very next thing. I found it so helpful in cutting out the noise and allowing myself to focus on the small actions that would get me through the long list of stuff instead of sitting in the overwhelm and not moving forward at all. Tip: Look at the most basic next step and do that. It might be very simple like “put my clothes on” or “brush my teeth” or it might be a little broader. Whatever it is, just to that and then the next thing. While you’re at it, remove any judgement you have about feeling overwhelmed (we all feel like that sometimes.) Be kind to yourself. Slow down, take a gentle breath in and say “I’m doing this one thing, in this moment. I’m calm. This is all I have to do right now.”
It seems simple but I think the impact of simplicity can sometimes be forgotten among the fullness of life.
An exerpt from “Do The Next thing” below
From an old English parsonage down by the sea
There came in the twilight a message for me;
Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,
Hath, as it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.
And on through the hours the quiet words ring,
Like a low inspiration: DO THE NEXT THING.
Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, guidance, are given.
Fear not tomorrows, Child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus. DO THE NEXT THING.
Comentários