Let me start this off by saying this post is not sponsored in any way. Recently I have been feeling extremely overwhelmed. A variety things have been happening in my life which have put a lot on my plate at once. It got to the point where I was so stressed out about my to-do list that I didn’t even know where to start. I was literally staring at my list and my computer for an hour. Barely moving. Doing nothing. That is when I realized I needed to change something or I could potentially be stuck in a rut for a very long time. If you are ever in the same situation, here are some tips that helped me dig my way out.
Take A Break
Yea, I know. It seems like the totally wrong time to take a break. When your list is so long you don’t know what to do, take a break from it? Won’t that just leave your list to grow and grow all on it’s own? The short answer is yes, it will. But I promise you, you will be able to tackle that list so much quicker after you are refreshed. Do something you love and just get away from it all. For me, that was playing video games and reading comic books. I pulled out some of my favorite trade paperbacks and story lines and just read. For hours. The next day, I sat on the couch and played my favorite games on PlayStation and XBox. This really helped take some of my stress away, but I needed something more.
Go For A Drive
I just needed to get away from everything. Just for an hour or so. So I hopped in the Kia Sorento which sits in my driveway and just drove. It was freezing outside. But that didn’t stop me from opening the panoramic sunroof and letting in some fresh air. Don’t worry, I had my heated seats to keep me warm. I dialed my Sirius Satellite to 90s on 9 and sang songs from my teenage years at the top of my lungs. I live pretty close to a lake which gives me a great place to sit and think. After driving around the city for about an hour, I pulled in to the lake. I parked by the water and did the following two things….
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgPQCyknARx/?taken-by=mamasgeeky
Scream at the Top of Your Lungs
This may sound ridiculous, but it is something that really helps me. As I was sitting in my Kia, I screamed. Really, really loud. It was like all of the stress and everything that was sitting on my shoulders was being lifted. I did it a few more times and then…I cried.
Cry
Yup. I cried. For a solid 15 minutes. At least. And I am not talking a few tears. Oh no. I am talking a big ugly cry. The kind of cry I have during This Is Us. Or maybe even worse. I let it all out. The stress of knowing I had a list of things to do a mile long. The stress of being a mom and the fact that two little humans rely on me every day. And the stress of life in general. You know what? It felt fantastic. Yeah, I had a slight headache from all the sobbing, but my soul felt better. I don’t know how else to describe it.
Listen to A Good Record
The last thing I did was sit in my front room and put on a couple of records. I listened to them all the way through as I closed my eyes and let the music take me over. I guess you could say I meditated along with it as I closed my eyes, slowed my breathing, and just…listened.
After all was said and done, I felt like I had a new lease on life. I was ready to take on the world (well, my to-do list at least). I wasn’t going to let anything get me down, and stick me in that rut again. At least not for a while. And when it inevitably does, well, now I have five sure fire ways to get me back on track.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.