"I was tired..."
So now that we are back from Thanksgiving break and gearing up for Christmas, I came across the title picture on Instagram and thought, “If this ain’t the truth!” You know as I am getting older and maturing, I can see more clearer what’s priority and what’s ‘if I get around to it.’ I’m a person whose mind goes a mile a minute. I’m constantly thinking, organizing, planning…you name it. Though over the years, it has cause me to be very focused and goal oriented it has also caused me to be very stressed and rigid with time and change. Quite frankly, I have experienced a lot of missed opportunities to be in the moment because of this and in the end, I’ve been left unhappy. Well, ain’t nobody got time for that!!!
Here’s my new approach: I do what I can with all I have and whatever is left, I’ll do at another time! Just like the title picture says…life goes on and everything won’t come crashing down. Now let’s be VERY clear…I’m not perfect at this but it is my desired goal. I’ve noticed my anxiety have decreased…I’ve been able to enjoy my moments with the ones I love…overall, I am generally happier!
So, of course I have to leave you some practicals I am using during the holiday season:
Listen to your body—our bodies are magnificent machines! They typically give us warning shots beforehand so if you are tired, sleep. If you are hungry, eat. Give your body what it needs and though this seems so simple, we tend to not tend to our needs! Think of your body as a car with the maintenance light on. If you keep ignoring the light, the car WILL break down!
‘No’ is a complete sentence—y’all it really is! I’ll take it a step further…you don’t owe anyone an explanation with that ‘no.’ Now, this doesn’t mean to be completely selfish with your time but realize that you are but one person who can only do so much and the mindset that we have to be all things, to everyone we know is ridiculous thinking and detrimental to our well-being. Let’s look at Mark 6:31: “Then Jesus said, ‘Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.’ He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.” Hey, life gets busy but we HAVE to have time alone to at least tend to our basic needs. If Jesus needed rest, SO DO YOU!
Remember why you are doing what your doing—I’ll give you an example here: with the holidays upon us, many families (including mine!) are all about family traditions and making memories. We can load ourselves down with activity after activity so that we can capture every moment for lasting memories. But what good would this be if we are stressed out, fussing at the kids and spouse, and grumpier that Ebenezer Scrooge?! Remember the goal is to have fun and be surrounded by love, to encourage one another, and ultimately celebrate the true reason for the season…JESUS! Simply put, all that other stuff doesn’t matter now does it?
Well guys, that’s all I got for now! I hope that we all take the time to enjoy our lives, families, and soak up every moment we get! Let’s keep the conversation going…what practicals would you add to the list?
