My softball coach in college used to always say "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results." As I enter another school year, I am trying hard to not be insane. Through teaching, I have learned that I become stressed out when I do not feel my life is balanced. For me, this includes spending time with my husband, feeling good about my progress on school responsibilities, spending quiet time alone, spending time reading (Bible Study is part of this) and working out. All of these aspects of my life cannot receive equal time, but in the big picture of life, they need to feel balanced in order for me to feel relaxed. With social media and technology it is easy to always be busy and always learning. I love this aspect of the world we live in, but at times learning and school work needs to take a back seat to other parts of my life.
I am a big believer that it is vital to set goals so I know which direction I am going. If my goal is to live this school year with less insanity, there are simple steps I can make to ensure this happens. In the end, I am the one who has to live my life and I am the one who needs to be happy with it. My husband and I both coach basketball at our respective schools. I coach boy's and girl's basketball in the same amount of time that he coaches girl's basketball, so starting in November we will both be very busy. I am not coaching volleyball this year, so August, September and October are my "free" months. These are the months where I need to focus on my family and build up investments of time because I know time will be limited in the future.
We all have busy lives and it is important that we each stay focused on what is important for us individually. I have learned over the past three years that I start feeling overwhelmed when I do not have me time or time to talk with my husband. I am in control of how I spend my time, so I am very focused on making better decisions this year. So far this school year I am mostly happy with the routines I have set for myself. Getting up early allows me time and it also allows time to read and exercise (I am also a bit of a neat freak so it allows me time to pick up around my house). I have started riding my bike to school and that is a great way to get my exercise and my quiet time at the same time.
I am already noticing that I struggle making sure I have time to talk with my husband. There are endless ideas and I feel like I could spend all my waking hours at school and still have more work to do. I am still working on finding balance in this aspect of my life. This week I strive to spend more time with my husband. October and basketball season will be here before we know it :)
From experience, I know that I feel overwhelmed when I do not have time to read, time alone or time to talk with my husband. This school year I am not going to live my life insanely. The choices I make need to align with these three needs so that I can feel relaxed and at peace with my life.
What aspects of your life cause you the most stress? How are you trying to prevent this from happening this year?
I am already noticing that I struggle making sure I have time to talk with my husband. There are endless ideas and I feel like I could spend all my waking hours at school and still have more work to do. I am still working on finding balance in this aspect of my life. This week I strive to spend more time with my husband. October and basketball season will be here before we know it :)
From experience, I know that I feel overwhelmed when I do not have time to read, time alone or time to talk with my husband. This school year I am not going to live my life insanely. The choices I make need to align with these three needs so that I can feel relaxed and at peace with my life.
What aspects of your life cause you the most stress? How are you trying to prevent this from happening this year?
This is a topic much on my mind this week as well! I often feel overwhelmed with all that I am trying to accomplish and feel that I am trying to do more than I really have time for. I have to remind myself, as you say, that I am in control of my time! Sometimes it's just a matter of developing a better routine. I have also been getting up early and enjoying the morning time for walking the dog, catching up on Twitter and blogs, and preparing for the day. Thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteThank you Elisabeth! I remember how stressed I got last year ad it seems crazy to live through another year like that. Especially when I know I can control some of it. I appreciate you taking the time to read the post. I hope you have a great school year!
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