I have learnt that I do not always have to say yes when people ask me to do something. I have participated in a lot of committees, helped to organize this and that, but now I feel it is important to reserve some time for myself and my own projects. Last week I managed to say “no” to participate in a new committee, even if the people were real nice and idealistic and their goal was very good.
I will still say yes when I really mean yes, but I will also say no!
That is the greatest lesson I have learnt – to say no. 2 years ago

Friday was a very busy day at work, I felt overwhelmed and did not know what to do, it was just too much work to cope with.
Since it was quite impossible to manage everything that should be done, I decided to use the last hour of the working day to make plans for what I should do when I came back to work after the week-end. My desktop had become covered with lots of papers, in no particular system, that had just accumulated because I was so busy. The mess made it difficult to work efficiently, but I had not felt that I had time to stop, because there was such a lot to do. Before I went home on Friday, I had sorted all my papers and new exactly where I should pick up on Monday. I felt great, and I look forward to coming back to work – no longer overwhelmed by masses of papers. 4 years ago

This weekend I managed not to think about work. Today (Sunday) I had a long breakfast at the balcony in the sunshine, later I went to see a movie with my daughter, then I made a tasty dinner and in the evening did some knitting and reading. I feel satisfied and calm, it has been a lovely day. I will go to bed not to late, so I get enough sleep. Tomorrow morning I will again be 100% concentrated on my work. 4 years ago

This morning, instead of having a nice and quiet breakfast, I kept running in and out of the childrens rooms, telling them that is was time to get up, or they would be late for school. I had to wake them up three times each, the last time I was shouting angrily! And this was not the first time… I end up feeling exhausted and angry, and that is not a good way to start your day.
I must really be very, very stupid to do this… I am supplying a service level which is not good for either of us.
Now I have made myself a promise that i solemnly swear to keep: Tomorrow they will have to get up without any help from me. I will write and tell how it went. They will just have to manage! 4 years ago

don’t do it anymore. And, I am not doing it any more! 4 years ago

I promised myself this morning that I am going to slow down when driving-no matter where I am going. Allow plenty of time to get there and relax. No wonder we have 35 year olds having strokes and heart attacks. Everyone is too stressed out over little things. 4 years ago

Knitting is very relaxing. I have never been very good at it, but I manage to knit quite OK with one colour (two colours are too difficult). Last year I knitted my first pair of socks ever – now they are almost worn out (I love them and have been wearing them almost all the time..) Today I bought new yarn – also manycoloured, but this time more into the blue/purple/red/orange colours. I also love my knitting pins of bamboo, which give a completely different feeling from the metal pins. Sometimes I also listen to an audiobook while I knit. 4 years ago

Half a year ago I almost stopped drinking coffee. Strangely enough I have felt more energized and less tired without the coffee (well, I also made some adjustments in my eating-habits, so it could also be the food..) But what I wanted to say, was that I bought this very nice ecological green tea with jasmine today and and just made myself a large cup. Both the preparing and the drinking of tea make me calmer and more relaxed. 4 years ago

A major cause of stress in my life. Gotta go Gotta go

Peace and Love :>) 4 years ago

I felt really overwhelmed by all the things I should have done, but never got around to do. It was weekend, I was free to do what ever I wanted to, but somehow I could not manage to feel relaxed and free. All those things that hung over me… I just had to do something. What I did was to make a list of the things that stressed med most. Mails to write, messages to give, bills to pay, ironing, going through all the household paperwork. How ever could I manage to do it all – it was impossible.
OK – it was impossible to do everything in a week-end, but why should that be any problem? I decided that anything I could eliminate from the list would be a great relief. So I started with some of the easiest things, and managed to cross out some items from the list. Next day I continued. The third day (Monday) I discovered that I had managed to do it all. It was not a very restfull or happy week-end, but still I felt so energized on Monday, that i continued doing the same thing at work. Making a list – doing one thing at a time, getting a lot of energy by the simple act of crossing out one item after the other. Childish, maybe, to get motivated by that, but it worked. So my advise if you feel overwhelmed is: Start with getting it out of your head an on to a piece of paper – finish one thing at a time. It does not matter if it takes one or 30 days. You will feel energized just by having the feeling of progress. 4 years ago