My life has gotten a bit busy and complicated lately. My husband is working through challenges with vertigo and lower back pain which has meant a lot of extra appointments. We have contractors working on our laundry room to make it more accommodating. My son is having problems with my teenage grandson and today he reached out to say he is having to put down his dog. Then, there’s the heat. It is the middle of summer so that should be expected but it always means additional stress on all of us.

When I try to face all of these challenges at once, I quickly get overwhelmed. I am working to compartmentalize or put each of these separate components of my life into their own boxes with my husband’s box, of course, being biggest. I can take them out and deal with them as needed. Choosing to take care of different issues allows me to utilize different skills and gives me a sense of some control over most of the situations. Even if I am the only one who can see the boxes, it helps me keep my sanity when I can think “not now, I’ll deal with you in a minute.”

I saw a great quote on my computer yesterday from someone named Jeremy Clarkson. It read “Multi-tasking is the ability to screw everything up simultaneously.” This is so true for me and especially applies when dealing with difficult situations. I need all my focus to properly care for my husband, respond to my son, and deal with the contractors. Using boxes to sort the different challenges gives me that necessary focus and allows me to be here for all of them when they need me. Now I just need to create a box for myself!