It’s been a harried and stressful week for yours truly! After having a fantastic (yet busy) vacation, my week has been filled with tasks and projects that needed completion. I just finished a course that I absolutely loved, but it required a lot of time and preparation for a final presentation. I knew it would be ‘crunch time’ to have everything ready for Saturday’s final class, but I learned a truly valuable lesson in the process.
I’ve always been a person who worries about everything. So much so that whenever I know I have a deadline for a task I go overboard with worry about meeting my (and others) expectations. Have you ever noticed when you are hurrying and fretting you make more mistakes?
Case in point for my exhausted, disheveled self this past week. After nearing completion of my class presentation, I decided to treat myself to a manicure/pedicure. More than anything it was a distraction from myself and the week, if that makes sense. Feeling slightly more relaxed afterwards, didn’t I go and slam myself into a plate-glass window when trying to leave the salon! I was so embarrassed that I scurried out of there (when I finally found the actual ‘door’), nails still not dry and now completely ruined, tears running down my cheeks for a plethora of reasons, and feeling horrible in the process.
Fast-forward to this morning. The presentation went well yesterday, despite my feelings of worry and fright about it all. Now as I sit here drinking my delightful coffee and back in my comforting surroundings and staring out onto Lake Michigan, I realize (and here’s the lesson for me) that my lack of sleep, worry, self-doubting, and having no clarity were things that I COULD have chosen to do something about and yet, I didn’t. I let the fear factor take over my entire week to the point of literally being slammed in the face with it all.
I started to think about the result I wanted; that is, to have a smooth presentation and completion of all the other tasks I was required to do this past week. And guess what? Everything was done on time. But even if it wasn’t, I needn’t to have made a big deal about it. I realize that my attitude, my thoughts, and my worried energy were all rolled into a big, negative mess this past week which I could have changed by choosing different thoughts. You know, thoughts such as, “this is going to all get done and if it doesn’t, that is completely okay”. I could have approached the week with excitement rather than intense dread; what would the week have looked like? Why, I think it would have been filled with calm, appreciative moments rather than bleary, sleepless nights and ruined moments.
I wanted to share this ‘experience ball’ with you to remind all of us that stress, worry, anxiety, fretting, and the lot requires a lot of energy that we put on ourselves with only bruises (mentally and in my case this week, physically) to show for it. My grandmother used to say, “Worrying is like sitting on a rocking chair; it will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.” She was right. So for today I am going to do absolutely nothing that doesn’t make me happy. I’m going to get some more coffee, stare out at that lake for hours, and relax.
Here’s hoping you grab some Sunday serenity!!
The Chicago Files 