Finding Balance in the Chaos

Sometimes life reaches capacity. It may even overflow. I’ve been there several times.

On February 28 I had a tooth removed. I insist on sedation for procedures like this. I slept a lot on Saturday and Sunday after the tooth extraction. I didn’t get the work I would normally do on the weekend.

Weather’s Gift: A Forced Pause

Then, on Monday, I jumped back into my busy week. On Tuesday, I got a respite when the weather turned windy and possibly more. I was slated to go to Wichita, a two-and-a-half-hour drive, on Tuesday. I decided to attend the workshop on Zoom. I believe I got more out of it this way, and I didn’t spend five hours driving.

It rained all day Tuesday and started snowing that night. The wind blew more on Wednesday. Along with the rain and snow, I decided that I would stay on the ranch. This gave me time to work on a project that I wanted to do.

I was grateful for the break that the weather provided. I’d been planning to go to a networking meeting in Lawrence and then to see Mom that day.

The Demands of Caregiving and Travel

The week before Mom had asked me if I had time to take her to Oakley soon. I need more warning if I’m going to spend more than a day there. We left on the next Friday, spent Saturday, and returned on Sunday.

Going to get Mom is an hour the other way so it takes most of the day to drive there. Right now, with taking John to class two evenings a week this is about the only way I can fit a trip like this in.

It makes for a long weekend. I was happy to turn into the ranch on Sunday evening.

The Cost of Constantly Giving

It did take a toll on my body as now I may have a cold or some severe allergies.

Early in caregiving for Mike, I was working a full-time job. We went to the Mayo Clinic. The trip was a total of five days, and I took the day after, Monday, off. I remember realizing on Thursday that I was now back to some sense of productivity. I had been emotionally dehydrated.

We were going to Houston monthly a little over a year later. During this time, I was working on a big event at work. I would be in the meetings, and someone would ask if I had done something. My response more than once was “Was I here for that?” I’d look at my notes and discover I had said I would do it. Again, my capacity had overflowed.

Caregiving can push your life into overflow swiftly. There is a delicate balance between taking care of your loved one and taking care of yourself. I did a better job of navigating the madness after I started the Equine Gestalt training.

Is your life at capacity? Or overflowing? The horses and I can help you navigate the waters, so your life flows more smoothly. Click the button below and let’s talk.

When The Levee Breaks.

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Onward!