I have found that if I want a problem to get bigger, all I have to do is sit for a while and worry about it. Procrastination, avoidance and yes, even fear of failure all come into play as I sit and wait for a solution to the situation to magically appear. This process especially doesn’t work well now that I am a CarePartner and in charge of many of the day-to-day activities necessary to support our home.

A learning opportunity happened this past week which has given me a chance to practice dealing with difficult situations. A tree fell on our garage during a wind storm. In the past, my husband would have been the one making the calls and dealing with the tree guy, roofer, and insurance adjuster but thanks to PD he has a hard time making phone calls or sending emails. So, if it is going to get done, I need to do it. A lot is handled through conference calls allowing him to participate in the conversation if he chooses, but I am the one who has to initiate the contacts and complete the transactions. This is not normally my job and is definitely stretching my comfort zone.

 I don’t mean to say that when faced with a difficult challenge it is bad to take a moment to think about what you should do, but creating a plan for success is different than wallowing in the negative swamp of “how on earth can I do this?” or “what if I fail?”. I need to understand and accept that anticipation anxiety is real, then go ahead and act to get us started towards resolution. Rather than waste my energy on worry, I find that if I spend it doing what needs to be done the problem can be resolved, and often with much less stress than I expected.