Simplify your life!

I’ve had a lot on my plate lately.  The school year just started and I am a teacher trying to prepare for the new school year.  My thirteen year old breaks his elbow (break # 19+ related to his brittle bone disease) and has surgery this past Friday.  My nineteen year old is trying to figure life out, complete credits to graduate from high school and has chosen the rocky road to travel, at times, bringing me along.  My husband and I love each other but at times can’t figure out how to get along and don’t LIKE each other.  All the while, I am dealing with a foot injury that has put me on crutches and has allowed little room for exercise in my life (breathe).

So, I wonder how can I keep it all together?  How can I do it all?  If I start to go down this road of what I call circular, crazy thinking, I won’t be able to.  It is not possible.  The “trying to do it all” attitude leads me nowhere positive.  For much of my life this is the path that I travelled and it was a difficult, debilitating, self-flagellating existence.  I am done with that or least I now recognize when I start and am able to stop.  And herein lies the key.

You don’t have to do it all!  Prioritize.  You don’t have to multitask despite what American culture tells us in every way, shape and form.   There are certain things in your day that must get done, write them down and then realistically number them in order of importance.  Clearly estimate the time each task will take and then scale down.  We usually overestimate the amount of things we can get done in a day or at least that is MY experience. 

Think about yourself first.  What do you need to do to take care of yourself?   I heard someone use the analogy of being in an airplane crash.  When you are going down and the oxygen masks drop, you are instructed to put YOUR mask on first and then assist others who might need help.  You cannot take care of anyone else unless you first care for yourself!!  So, put yourself at the top of the list.  What do you need today?  A run, a swim, a good meal, time to kick your feet up, or a walk in nature? 

Next, when people come at you with their own agendas (which they will), remember to put yourself at the top of the list.  You can say things like:

“I need some time to think about it.”  “I don’t know.” “I will get back to you when I am able.”  “I will have to re-schedule.”  “I can’t commit to that right now.” These are great phrases to write down, to remember and to practice. 

Lastly, and I believe, most importantly, trust in the Universe.  Or, in yoga, I would say practice Ishvara Pranidhana (literally translated: “Surrender to the Lord”).  Trust that the Universe, God, Great Spirit or whatever you’d like to call it has your back and is there for you to release your burdens to.  Sometimes, your load is too heavy.  Ask the Universe to carry some for you, ask for help and trust that the solution will reveal itself.  Darren Main puts it perfectly in his book Yoga and the Path of the UrbanMystic, “Ishvara pranidahana is the practice of noticing when we are trying to micromanage our own lives, and then returning the control to Spirit.”

Mississippi River near Shakopee, MN (CMG original)

Just for today, simplify your life, breathe and know you are taken care of.

Namaste,

Carrie