My Pot Never Stops Boiling!

By Paula, on October 24th, 2012

I remember when my son was about 11 years old and he was anxiously awaiting a ?growth-spurt?. He would jump out of bed on?warm summer mornings and was sure that he tacked on an inch or so overnight.

I discussed with him the old saying that ?a watch pot never boils.? ?Inside I was shaking my head because it seems that my ?watch pot? never stops boiling!

I contemplated why my pot is not filled with calm, still water. I pictured in my mind a pot filled with crisp, cool water and then the thought occurred to me; I am constantly turning my burner up to HIGH!

I am not intentionally doing it but, every time I accept a new task or make a new promise to someone, my flame gets higher and higher. Am I alone here? Why do we do this to ourselves?

Consider this:

• Pressure Cooker. We create a lot of our own stress with our desires to get every little thing in order for each person in our home. Accepting the fact that we cannot be everything to everybody will help to soften our expectations of perfection. We are designed to thrive and not just exist on the planet so try to lower some of the standards of having a perfectly clean house, schedule, children, parents, etc. to reduce our self-created pressure.
• We act like an island. In many homes, Mom is the coordinator of most activities, commitments and events. She researches the interests, assists with homework, transports family members to ten thousand activities and much more. It is critical that some of the workload is delegated to others to offset some of the daily stress. Maybe your spouse can drop off the kids at school on the way to work. Consider networking with neighborhood moms for carpooling or babysitting co-op duties. If you oversee parent care, you can check into senior programs that they may be interested in to give you a little break in the action. Teach yourself to say ?YES? if someone offers support or assistance. You cannot do this alone!
• We are?over-scheduled. On a regular day, life runs on full speed. Adding work outside the home or elder care into the mix is a recipe for disaster if we are already feeling stressed out from our regular, everyday tasks. Try to consider what everyday commitments can be pared down from your lives. It is okay to make selective choices today that will support your family and bring them together. Try limiting family members? activities to no more than two per week, including Mom and Dad.
• Just Say No. When you sign up for extra responsibilities, it adds stress to the entire household because someone may have to fill in the gaps if you are unavailable. Give yourself permission and learn to say, ?No, thank you? when approached about a new responsibility. Consider what other tasks your family members will have to take on if you are involved in extra obligations.

Friends, I resisted my own advice for a long time. I thought I would be considered a huge failure because I could not handle the task of running my home. I would really like to encourage you to learn from my mistakes! Go easy on yourself and accept that you are one person with a heavy load. I am here to tell you that it is not impossible!

What can you do today to change your patterns?

Photo Credit: Sterlic

Source: http://simplysandwich.net/my-pot-never-stops-boiling/

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