In one way or another, we have all experienced the feeling that we are not doing enough, while time seems to be running away as if it is being chased. Sometimes, we wish that a day had 32 hours instead of 24 hours, and other times, we plan to cut down on our sleeping hours to make room for completing tasks that need to be done. In life, we may also feel that age is catching up with us too quickly and that we have not accomplished enough to match our current stage in life. This often allows peer pressure to step in, which is a normal aspect of life.
I have faced many such situations, and I have tried various strategies to strike a balance. While some of these strategies failed woefully, others worked quite well. The following are some steps I take to regain balance whenever such thoughts arise.
Take Life Easy and Prioritize Mental Health.
The first thing I do when I feel overwhelmed is to apply the principle of taking life easy. Before tackling the situation physically, I first safeguard my mental health to avoid being overpressured or falling into depression. Instead of allowing my mind to boil in distressing thoughts, I strive to maintain peace within myself. I try to see life beyond the current situation and focus on the positive aftermath. Life cannot always be bad, you know; there is surely light at the end of the tunnel, as long as we do not give up or succumb to despair. So, I take things easy and settle down to plan my course of action, whether it involves executing a task or increasing my efforts in what I am already doing.
Increase My Working Hours.
I am among those who always feel that 24 hours in a day are not enough and wish for more time. Since increasing the number of hours in a day is not possible, I have adopted the method of borrowing some time from my sleeping hours to add to my working hours.
For the last two weeks, I have been committed to my writing work. I have been posting five articles per week, carving out time from my already limited schedule to achieve this goal. Currently, I sleep very late because I need to attend to many responsibilities. However, I do not stay awake until the deepest part of the night; I only extend my working hours until around 12 a.m. or so. This is in complete contrast to my previous sleeping schedule, as I used to go to bed by 9:30 p.m. at the latest. Though the time I am cutting off from my sleep is relatively small, it is significant when well managed, and I am making judicious use of it.
This is something I plan to continue in the long run, allowing my body to adapt to the new routine. However, if things balance out more quickly than expected, I would love to return to my previous sleeping schedule.
Thank you!
I wrote this in response to Clean Planet prompt