Since the last post, I have been seriously praying and pondering potential changes in our life. I've come up with a few things that I'm trying to implement, and welcome more if you have any! Here goes:
1) Ruthlessly declutter my house, and get rid of unused stuff. Decluttering my house will help me declutter my mind. It seems that if things are messy, unorganized or just too full; then everywhere you look you see work. I'm hoping that reducing "stuff" will help me to stay more organized with less work and less overwhelming-ness. I do need more bookshelves, so am trying to get that one in order too.
2) Get good exercise each day. Not just a walk with the kids, but actually get my heart rate up in the target zone and feel beat when I'm done. I'd love to swim laps each day, as that has been my best form of "stress relief", but since it's just not possible, I'm trying the other forms of exercise that I can do from home.
3) Get the kids to bed earlier so that Greg and I can both get more sleep and some time with each other each day. This is hard for me because I'm a night owl, and don't like getting up early, but I'm trying!
4) Do a gall bladder/liver cleanse. The liver is the most important cleaning tool our body has, and if it is congested, nothing will work right. I figure I'll start there, and do more thorough cleansing if needed to follow.
5) Take 5-HTP if necessary. This is an amino acid that makes your body produce more serotonin improving mood, assisting with sleep and aiding in depression symptoms. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-Hydroxytryptophan)
6) Reduce my own expectations of myself. Good parents take the time to make good choices for their families, and this wears a person out. Less time/thought into decision making, especially minor decisions.
7) Closure on burdening thoughts (that I can) so they don't keep recurring.
8) Take deliberate time each day for my husband and children, and for myself.
9) Reduce dish use in the house to reduce kitchen clutter, and strive to wash each dish after using. Our life can handle this at this point, but hasn't been able to at times with a new baby, and then bad habits form.
10) Open up my journal again and log my thoughts more often. I used to write daily from age 12-30, but have neglected it since I had children.
11) Plan a vacation. We've got 9 days awaiting us in the beginning of Sept., so are planning what to do with it. Criteria: no visiting anyone, no deadlines (except campground checkins/outs), no more than 2-3 hours of driving every few days, must have swimming pools or areas, etc.
So, that's my start. I'm feeling hopeful and trying to turn everything I can over to God, since He knows better what to do with it anyhow.
1) Ruthlessly declutter my house, and get rid of unused stuff. Decluttering my house will help me declutter my mind. It seems that if things are messy, unorganized or just too full; then everywhere you look you see work. I'm hoping that reducing "stuff" will help me to stay more organized with less work and less overwhelming-ness. I do need more bookshelves, so am trying to get that one in order too.
2) Get good exercise each day. Not just a walk with the kids, but actually get my heart rate up in the target zone and feel beat when I'm done. I'd love to swim laps each day, as that has been my best form of "stress relief", but since it's just not possible, I'm trying the other forms of exercise that I can do from home.
3) Get the kids to bed earlier so that Greg and I can both get more sleep and some time with each other each day. This is hard for me because I'm a night owl, and don't like getting up early, but I'm trying!
4) Do a gall bladder/liver cleanse. The liver is the most important cleaning tool our body has, and if it is congested, nothing will work right. I figure I'll start there, and do more thorough cleansing if needed to follow.
5) Take 5-HTP if necessary. This is an amino acid that makes your body produce more serotonin improving mood, assisting with sleep and aiding in depression symptoms. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-Hydroxytryptophan)
6) Reduce my own expectations of myself. Good parents take the time to make good choices for their families, and this wears a person out. Less time/thought into decision making, especially minor decisions.
7) Closure on burdening thoughts (that I can) so they don't keep recurring.
8) Take deliberate time each day for my husband and children, and for myself.
9) Reduce dish use in the house to reduce kitchen clutter, and strive to wash each dish after using. Our life can handle this at this point, but hasn't been able to at times with a new baby, and then bad habits form.
10) Open up my journal again and log my thoughts more often. I used to write daily from age 12-30, but have neglected it since I had children.
11) Plan a vacation. We've got 9 days awaiting us in the beginning of Sept., so are planning what to do with it. Criteria: no visiting anyone, no deadlines (except campground checkins/outs), no more than 2-3 hours of driving every few days, must have swimming pools or areas, etc.
So, that's my start. I'm feeling hopeful and trying to turn everything I can over to God, since He knows better what to do with it anyhow.
