Is it just me, or is anyone else feeling overwhelmed these days?

Every where I turn in my house, I see something:  a pile of dirty clothes or dirty dishes, towels left on the floor, art projects and glitter scattered about the playroom (and the house), a two-foot stack of books desperately needing to go back to the library.  On my cluttered desk sit papers ready to file, photos ready to frame, cards waiting to be written, and the grocery list that went missing from last week.

As I look at these piles, these reminders of the chaos in my house, I realize they mirror the chaos I also feel in my head.  How am I going to pay for the occupational therapy my child needs?  Did I remember to flea-bath the cat this month?  Jeez Louise, new shoes already?  Did my mom call to see how I was doing?  Did I call her back?  Dang.  I really wanted to see that movie.  My husband and I haven’t been on a date in two months.  Oh, crap.  I double-booked a Thursday afternoon play date – again.

(Sigh.)

Okay.  I know this phase won’t last.  I know it’s not forever.  But what do I need to do now to manage my days and sleep better at night?  Breathe, for one.  Next, remember to eat.  Third, blow the glitter off the toilet seat, clean it up, and begin again.

If I slim down the extraneous stuff in the house, make room for blank spaces on the calendar, let some messes go and work on organizing others, then maybe my mind and my house will reveal some space I didn’t know I had.  Mini-pixie dolls with 17 pairs of plastic shoes?  Buh-bye.  Puzzles with missing pieces. Gone.  My husband’s voluminous collection of old T-shirts?  They make excellent rags.

That former colleague who wants to meet for lunch?  Sorry, I just can’t right now.  That new-fangled kids’ playgroup/art school/daycare everyone’s talking about?  I think we’ll just explore another park for the time being.  Mom needs to sit under the trees while the kids play, and let the sunshine and the promise of spring clear her head and restore her heart.  That’s what I need right now.

In the past, within my professional career, I’ve done two successful startups.  And it was hard – really hard.  But so is this.  Balancing our lives, and managing a family with multiples is really, really difficult at times.  It is.

So when I’m feeling scattered I try to stop, breathe, tune in to the club, take what I need, call a friend, and regroup.  Reflect.  Appreciate.  Share a joke with my husband.  Laugh with my kids.  Snuggle in bed.  Spin on the swings in the park.  Let go.

See?  Things are looking better already…