The best place ever – the cabin!
I don’t know about you, but sometimes life just feels busier than other times. Right now is one of those moments. From moving to a new state/city, finding a job, buying a house, my parents selling my childhood home, and my husband graduating Medical School, there’s a LOT going on.
Sometimes I’m crabby and then I remember that there actually is a lot going on – and that’s ok. Feeling stressed with this many life changes can’t be unusual! Plus when I talk to other friends (who are spouses of medical students experiencing the same changes) I realized I wasn’t alone in feeling these stresses.
Today I wanted to be a bit different and talk about ways to stay happy. Maybe that sounds silly, but happiness is a choice (in my opinion), and things we do everyday influence our happiness. Here are some keys and reminders for me –
Choose Happiness
I could let stress consume me – and sometimes it does! The endless house paperwork and emails/forms we need to deal with immediately are stressful. The unknowns of moving to a new place are daunting and hopefully we like where we will be living! I know sometimes I let myself get overwhelmed by all the ‘negatives’ and forget to realize the upsides. We have a great house, loved Lexington, and are embarking on a new adventure together. We have opportunities we won’t have again and I need to remember that! Every downside has an upside I could focus on instead.
Have a Hobby
Idle hands are the devil’s workshop – heard that before? Well I’m a firm believer that being busy can help you manage stress and forget what’s weighing you down. I’m not saying get so busy that you’re overwhelmed with that, but everyone needs a good distraction! For me it’s this blog. I love writing and coming up with content – and having an outlet is a great use of my time. Plus when I’m blogging I don’t have to focus on what’s stressing me!
Stay Organized – and then FORGET
We have a to do list a mile long that we need to do for moving. It seems to grow everyday when I remember things! So I rely heavily on my FAVORITE app – Google Keep. I add what I think of to my appropriate list and then set a reminder to remind me when I need it. I don’t need reminders today for things I won’t do for two weeks – but I do want them then! Being able to take notes and then forget makes me less stressed because I know I’m organized.
Do What You Like
Do you like to go for a run or paint? Well then do that! Make time for what you like so that you will be in a good mood for those less-fun things. Give yourself permission to do fun things when life feels busy – you can always make time for things that help your mental health.
I hope that this post helps you realize that we all need to take time for ourselves and break up the to do lists and tasks. Even if it’s a few minutes to go for a walk each day, take it for yourself! You can take steps to feel less overwhelmed and be happy each day.
