Short Term Goals
I'm entering a contest for bloggers and I've been asked to write about a short-term goal and three milestones that will let me know I'm making progress.
It may sound silly but my short term goal is to get through the rest of the month of November with my sanity and sense of humor intact. I want to avoid a meltdown, not yell at anyone, finish my tasks both external and self-imposed and keep my family from killing one another.
I feel it's important to give you some background information here, so you can understand why this is even a goal in the first place.
My husband and I both became unemployed on the same day back in September. I knew mine was coming (although that doesn't necessarily make it easier). My husband's layoff was a surprise. We've become the Workforce Central/unemployment office power couple and it's not a good thing. It might be adorable if it wasn't demoralizing and scary. My oldest son is also looking for an after-school/weekend job. He too is experiencing the joy of submitting multiple job applications and not hearing anything back. So, suffice to say, the family stress levels are fairly high.
I've returned to school this semester and I'm very proud of myself. I'm working hard and my grades are decent but I realized too late that three classes was perhaps one too many. A student is considered full-time if they're carrying 12 credits. This semester, I have 11.
In addition to school and looking for a job, I;m finishing up a life coach training certification and participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
I'm not whining, I swear. I'm trying to build a life I love and I don't mind working hard to do it. But I am prone to over committing (ya' think?) And I am feeling a tad overwhelmed. So how am I going to get to the beginning of December?
1 )I'm going to breathe. Yes, breathe. And you're probably thinking "Well, duh? Aren't you doing that anyway?" But I'm going to breathe mindfully. As a yoga teacher, I know that we tend to take short, shallow breaths when we're stressed and that isn't healthy. I'm going to try not to stress about the future. I'm going to be present. When I feel like I want to crawl into bed until the new year or slam my head against the wall, I'm going to check in with my breath and drag myself into the present. If one day at a time proves too difficult, I'm going to break it down into smaller chunks. All the way into 30-second intervals. Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat.
2) I'm going to keep moving. I'm going to make a date with my yoga mat. I'm going to walk and swim and maybe even run. No matter how much other nonsense is going on, I know that exercise makes me feel better. If I'm going to cope, I need to keep moving.
3) I'm going to laugh. I've always told my husband that the only time he really needs to worry about me, is if I lose my sense of humor. It doesn't happen often but when it does, it isn't pretty. So based on the use it or lose it theory, I'm going to take every opportunity to be amused. I will seek out humor. Jokes on the internet, sure. Comedy movies, bring 'em on. Our brains are easily tricked. If we can smile, even when it feels like the world is imploding, our brains still release feel-good hormones. Our brains think "I'm smiling, I must be happy."
I know that I'm resilient and strong. Even if I'm feeling temporarily overwhelmed I know I will persevere.
It may sound silly but my short term goal is to get through the rest of the month of November with my sanity and sense of humor intact. I want to avoid a meltdown, not yell at anyone, finish my tasks both external and self-imposed and keep my family from killing one another.
I feel it's important to give you some background information here, so you can understand why this is even a goal in the first place.
My husband and I both became unemployed on the same day back in September. I knew mine was coming (although that doesn't necessarily make it easier). My husband's layoff was a surprise. We've become the Workforce Central/unemployment office power couple and it's not a good thing. It might be adorable if it wasn't demoralizing and scary. My oldest son is also looking for an after-school/weekend job. He too is experiencing the joy of submitting multiple job applications and not hearing anything back. So, suffice to say, the family stress levels are fairly high.
I've returned to school this semester and I'm very proud of myself. I'm working hard and my grades are decent but I realized too late that three classes was perhaps one too many. A student is considered full-time if they're carrying 12 credits. This semester, I have 11.
In addition to school and looking for a job, I;m finishing up a life coach training certification and participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
I'm not whining, I swear. I'm trying to build a life I love and I don't mind working hard to do it. But I am prone to over committing (ya' think?) And I am feeling a tad overwhelmed. So how am I going to get to the beginning of December?
1 )I'm going to breathe. Yes, breathe. And you're probably thinking "Well, duh? Aren't you doing that anyway?" But I'm going to breathe mindfully. As a yoga teacher, I know that we tend to take short, shallow breaths when we're stressed and that isn't healthy. I'm going to try not to stress about the future. I'm going to be present. When I feel like I want to crawl into bed until the new year or slam my head against the wall, I'm going to check in with my breath and drag myself into the present. If one day at a time proves too difficult, I'm going to break it down into smaller chunks. All the way into 30-second intervals. Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat.
2) I'm going to keep moving. I'm going to make a date with my yoga mat. I'm going to walk and swim and maybe even run. No matter how much other nonsense is going on, I know that exercise makes me feel better. If I'm going to cope, I need to keep moving.
3) I'm going to laugh. I've always told my husband that the only time he really needs to worry about me, is if I lose my sense of humor. It doesn't happen often but when it does, it isn't pretty. So based on the use it or lose it theory, I'm going to take every opportunity to be amused. I will seek out humor. Jokes on the internet, sure. Comedy movies, bring 'em on. Our brains are easily tricked. If we can smile, even when it feels like the world is imploding, our brains still release feel-good hormones. Our brains think "I'm smiling, I must be happy."
I know that I'm resilient and strong. Even if I'm feeling temporarily overwhelmed I know I will persevere.
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