Things Pile On

This week I got massively overloaded and one responsibility stacked on top of another until the whole Jenga tower came crashing down. I like to think that I generally know my limits, but every now and again I let all the things I do get the best of me. I don't know that every person is like this, but I know that once I start feeling overwhelmed all progress on all things ceases. The struggle from there is getting the wheels moving again, even if they move very slowly.

My temptation is to apologize profusely for missing blog posts. I want to mention how terrible and lazy I am. I want to make jokes that an ape could adhere to a schedule better than I can and that I am more beast than man. But you know what? Screw that. Apologizing and feeling self-conscious and bad about myself is what made me shut down in the first place!

If you find yourself getting overwhelmed and falling behind on your self-imposed responsibilities, remember that you're human. You're not terrible or lazy, you're a person who's got a lot on their plate. You've probably put a lot on  your plate. There's no shame in that, and don't let someone make you believe that there is.

Take a break, form a new plan of attack, and dive back in. If you're like me, you probably need a moment to forgive yourself for being a human and not an all-powerful problem solving machine. Once you're able to do that and re-organize your thoughts, you'll probably produce better results after that break anyway.

Here's a list of the things that I'm doing: 

• Commuting an hour each way to improvise twice a week
• Working 25-30 hours as a server
• Trying to organize a group of improvisers in my immediate area
• Planning new classes for the winter session
• Legitimately attempting to budget during Christmas season
• Writing and "promoting" a blog twice a week

There are a lot of minor stresses that encircle each of those things and that make my head start to spin. But those are all things that I want and need to be doing. Most of them are things that I have chosen to subject myself to! I've taken my break and now it's time to refocus. Let's all dust ourselves off, get our heads straight, and forge ahead like we need and want to. 

I believe in me and I believe in you, we can handle these things!