Non, Merci.

I aim to keep my life as simple as possible, as is made evident by most of my posts. And most days I think I do an alright job of that. But occasionally I start to feel overwhelmed. I used to think it was a sign of an anxiety disorder, and maybe it is. But for the most part I think I just have a difficult time slowing my life down. There are lots of days where I feel like there simply aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I map out for myself. I am an avid post-it note user for this reason alone: to make sure I don't leave anything out.

But I can tell a real difference in my life when I take things slowly. And most importantly: learn to say NO to people. Saying NO is often looked on with disdain. It seems like such a negative thing to do. Quite selfish, really. But I think that a lot of people (mainly women) don't hone in on the ability to selectively say NO when they really need to. When you need to recharge your batteries: say NO to anything getting in the way of that. When you know that it's not going to be an end-all for the invitor: say NO to the invitation. Be realistic, here, people. If it's a situation where you are going to put a significant strain on yourself and you really need that energy for other things, learn to say NO to people.

I'm not saying that we need to be selfish, by all means. But I think that many times we spread ourselves too thin and don't give ourselves the cushioning that we need to still be peaceful and relaxed. We NEED that peace and relaxation in order to perform all of the other daily tasks to our full potential. And you needn't feel guilty about taking some ME time, it's perfectly okay. Be aware of your limitations and don't push them past the breaking point. Help others, love others, aid others... but also make sure to carve out some time to love and take care of yourself. I've said it before and I will say it again: You don't have much to give the world if you don't have ahold of yourself first.