This is especially true for me in the beginning of December. I've got shows and parties and extra events clogging up the calendar. There's wrapping and mailing and decorating to do. There are lists upon lists of projects to tackle. This is on top of whatever normal life stresses you have going on.
So what did I do last night?
Catch up on projects?
Say "forget it" and relax in a hot bath?
Nope. Not my style. When I am particularly stressed, I usually tackle a big job that hasn't appeared on my list in weeks. When I had a stressful day before Thanksgiving, I cleaned out the pantry. And after an exhausting and stressful day yesterday, I decided to deep clean the car seats.
I'm sure there's a psychological reason for it. I can't resolve what I need to resolve that particular moment, and sitting down to do nothing will make it worse, so I tackle something that will make me feel accomplished. If I can take an evening and deep clean two car seats, I have a handle on my life.
Anyway, my work was well worth it. This morning, I felt really accomplished as I loaded the girls into the car. My trunk may be full of clutter from shopping and returning and all that December jazz, but the backseat looked amazing. And I felt so amazing that I was able to get back to the to-do list today with a fresh perspective.
Anyway, if you want to read my step by step process so you can deep clean some of your stress away (don't knock this method until you've tried it), I'm over at Sudbay Chrysler Dodge talking about the best way I've found to get the job done.
What do you do when life is overwhelming?
