What Are You Carrying That You Could Put Down?
Stress doesn't always come from life's biggest problems.
Sometimes it's the appointment you've been meaning to schedule for three weeks. It's remembering at 9 p.m. that you need to call tomorrow, knowing you'll be busy when the office opens. It's knowing Saturday morning will disappear into errands before Saturday even arrives.
Or maybe you simply want to walk through your front door after a difficult day and be done for the day, not immediately begin your second shift.
That's when I think it's worth asking:
Does this actually require me, or does it simply need to get done?
Sometimes the answer is you. Plenty of things in our lives deserve our personal attention.
But sometimes the answer is no.
And offloading something might be as simple as sending one email or text to someone you trust and knowing it's handled.
Build Your Support System
Support doesn't have to look the same for everyone.
Maybe your spouse completely owns a responsibility. Maybe you trade school pickups with another parent. Use grocery delivery. Ask a family member. Hire someone. Automate what you can.
I've also learned through my work that support shouldn't stop at the household to-do list.
Our homes, health, families, relationships and schedules don't exist independently of one another. That's part of why we've partnered with The Forest Lounge Medical Center and built access to wellness specialists into our memberships.
For me, it was a natural extension of what lifestyle support should look like. If we're helping someone create more time and reduce the stress surrounding everyday life, I also want them to have trusted resources available when they decide to use that time to take care of themselves.
Sometimes helping someone doesn't mean personally solving their problem. It means knowing the right person to call.
There is enormous peace of mind in knowing you already have people you trust and resources you can turn to.
Wellness doesn't exist in one little compartment of our lives. Neither should support.